


To Remember to Live and See the Light

by Covert_dragon97



Series: The Wolf and the Trickster [5]
Category: Captain Marvel (2019), Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005), Jessica Jones (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Anger, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Compulsion, Crossover, Dark Elves, Deviates From Canon, Dream Sex, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Long-Distance Relationship, Lonliness, Male-Female Friendship, Mind Control, Minor Character Death, POV Rose, Post-Avengers (2012), Post-Episode: s04e13 Journey's End, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Ravagers - Freeform, Roski, Savior Complex, Sex, Slow Burn, Some Swearing, Thor: The Dark World
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:28:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 40,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26205703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Covert_dragon97/pseuds/Covert_dragon97
Summary: Rose Tyler wakes up alone, having saved the universe only to be left behind...again. On her journey to find out who she want to be, she makes new friends, runs into old enemies, and stumbles onto another plot to destroy everything she holds dear.Oh, and also has to deal with the roller coaster of feelings caused by one enigmatic god of mischief.Set after Journey's End, leading up to and during Thor: The Dark World. Includes characters and story arcs from Captain Marvel, Guardians of the Galaxy, Jessica Jones (Season 1), and Captain America: Winter Soldier.
Relationships: Jane Foster/Thor, Loki (Marvel)/Rose Tyler, Loki (Marvel)/Rose Tyler | Bad Wolf, Rose Tyler & Carol Danvers, Rose Tyler & Jessica Jones, Rose Tyler & Steve Rogers, Rose Tyler & Tony Stark
Series: The Wolf and the Trickster [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/900906
Comments: 11
Kudos: 33





	1. I Am Lost

It’s not an easy trip through this time. Granted, the last trip didn’t feel like a piece of cake either. I’m tumbling, falling through space, but there’s this horrible crushing feeling at the same time, pummeling me from all sides. 

Have you ever tried to squeeze through a door or a hole that you weren’t quite small enough to fit through? That desperate emotion of needing to get through, to get free, or else you’ll be stuck in between? That’s me, right now. 

_ “The walls between dimensions are closed, Arkytior,”  _ Bad Wolf has to scream at me to be heard.  _ “You have to break through, or you will be trapped in the Void forever!” _

My mind burns as the power of the Time Vortex hits me full force, every inch of my body feeling like it’s on fire as I fight my way through the Void. Every muscle, every fiber of my being pushing back against the invisible force surrounding me. “Let...me...through!” I shout, putting all my strength into my next push, finally breaking through. 

There’s no solid ground, no weather, no light other than the golden tendrils emanating from myself. I know I should do something: try calling for help, send out a beacon, something. But as I float here in the inky darkness of space, cocooned in the power of the vortex, I just want to give in, to give up, to close my eyes if only for a moment. 

“That’s preposterous, you can’t,” a smooth male voice says somewhere off in the distance, beyond the charcoal depths I currently reside in. It’s peaceful here, no worries, no emotions, no thoughts; I don’t want to wake up. 

A bit closer, I hear a sigh and a higher, female voice. “Why not? It helped me when I was...you know.”

“But that was different, you had the power of the energy core keeping you alive, not just my blood.”

“Would you just call it the Tesseract like everyone else? And I wouldn’t be giving her your blood; I’d give her mine.”

“You forget, Vers, whose blood is running through your veins then.”

“For the one millionth time, it’s Carol, not Vers! And how can I forget when you never stop reminding me?”

The comforting black depths were beginning to fade away, a faint light drawing me ever closer and closer. As I got closer, the two voices became lounder, background sounds became clearer: a quiet beeping nearby that was slowly increasing, pacing footsteps, another sigh. 

All too soon, that light fully envelops me, my mind fully present again. Every sense is overwhelmed with light and sound and smell, my body feeling too drained to even move. Whatever power-up I’d gotten from the Tardis was long gone. Every muscle in my body aches, as if I’d just finished a brutal amount of intense exercise.

It’s bright, so much so I can’t even open my eyes without pain.  _ Get up _ , I tell myself,  _ you always get back up!  _ All I can manage to do is shift slightly and moan.  _ What’s the point? You got sent away again! You’re all alone. No Mickey, no Doctor, no Loki.  _ I could barely even feel Bad Wolf in the back of my mind.  _ You really are all alone. _ Unable to stop them, tears pour down my cheeks. Unwanted sobs break free, my body shaking from the effort of trying to contain them.

“She’s in shock,” that smooth low voice practically shouts. Two strong hands wrap around my shoulders and pin me back to the bed.

I’m spiraling, I can feel myself going back towards that dark pit of depression I had hoped to leave behind me. The hands on my shoulders squeeze a little harder, grabbing my attention. 

“Hey.” 

The voice is soft and comforting,yet commanding all the same, pulling me away from my thoughts and back to the present moment. I try to open my eyes, but my vision is blurry from my tears and the blinding lights around me. 

“You’re going to be alright. You’re safe now.”

The faint beeping slows down as I calm down, and I slowly realize I must be connected to a monitor. 

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” the male voice mutters from behind me again. 

“Shut up, Yon.Why don’t you go do something useful and check how long to the next jump point.” 

With a groan of pain, I push myself up slightly to lean against my elbow, finally able to take in my surroundings. I don’t recognize anything; I’m laying on a table in a dimly lit yet open space, the walls around me metallic and cold. Hovering above me is a blue screen with glyphs moving across it I don’t quite recognize. And standing in front of me, a woman. About my size, blonde, pale, but with a faint sign of freckles on her face. “Where...where am I?” My voice is soft, barely more than a whisper, bringing my attention to my incredibly dry throat.

“A borrowed M-class ship,” she replies. “This is what passes as the med-bay. To be honest, I’ve yet to use it. You get the honor of being my first patient.”

“You’re a doctor?” I question.

She smirks down at me, reaching over to press on the monitor so the beeping ceases. “Oh, definitely not a doctor. I’m Carol. What’s your name?”

“Rose, Rose Tyler.”

Carol tips her head slightly and gives me a small smile, although her form seems to be fading, going blurry. “Nice to meet you, Rose.” I blink a few more times, still trying to adjust to my surroundings.

A sudden jostle gives me the kick I need to get myself together, the few objects in the room around me shaking and falling. There’s a deep sound, like an explosion, and the whole room shifts. 

“Shit,” Carol turns and runs out of the small alcove I’m in, dashing out of sight.

Groaning, I push myself up and off the makeshift cot, using the walls to stay upright and make my way around to follow her. Another  _ boom _ and I’m almost thrown to the ground, just barely staying on my feet. A few more steps and I’m in an open cockpit, large enough to fit a whole crew. Instead though, it’s just Carol, strapped into the pilot's chair, and the man I’d heard talking to her. Even seated, he was tall; and older than she was if the balding spot amid the close cropped brown hair on the back of his head was anything to go by. 

“What’s going on?” I call out, although my hoarse voice was drowned out by a loud  _ boom _ .

Carol doesn’t even turn to me, all of her focus on flicking switches and steering the ship. “It’s a Ravager welcoming committee.”

“A what?”

“There’ll be a time for questions later, for now just strap in and shut up!” His voice, although full of frustration, is still smooth like butter, full of sophistication and self-assurance.

Stumbling forward, I do as he says and fall into the nearest seat, fumbling slightly as I strap myself in. The windscreen allows for full view of our surroundings, and for a moment, all I can do is stare in wonder at the neverending inky blackness and far off burning gaseous balls. It was beautiful.

The moment is interrupted as green bolts shoot out of a strange shaped spaceship that flies into view. Carol jerks the steering wheel hard, sending our ship jerking out of the line of fire. “There’s too many of them, I’m going to have to take them myself,” she mutters. With ease, she releases her seat restraints and stands, looking down at the man beside her with a stern expression. “Try not to hit me this time.”

“I’m sure I can manage.” His tone drips with sarcasm.

She looks at me and smirks. “Hang tight, I’ll be right back.” 

Within moments, the shooting around us stops, as a bright ball of light and energy shoots through one of the opposing ships and out the other end, leaving an exploding hull in its wake. The ball of light hovers in front of us protectively, watching the other ships turn and run. 

Just like that, it was over, and the ball of energy heads straight towards us. Squinting, I realize it isn’t a ball of energy, it’s  _ Carol! _ Letting go of the seat in front of me I hadn’t realized I was gripping, I fall back into my seat and rub my eyes, trying to understand what the hell just happened.

A hiss of air later, Carol’s back in the cockpit, standing next to my shocked self. “You good?”

Concentrating, I can feel a familiar energy coming off of her, strong and powerful. “You glow.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yup.” Her accent sounds American, and I can tell she’s speaking English without any help from a translator.

“Are you human? Your accent sounds American.” I spare a glance up at her; she’s wearing a red and blue bodysuit, with a gold star emblem on her chest. Reminds me of Captain America.

She plops back down in the captain’s chair. The man next to her, smiles lightly. It’s not a comforting smile though; it’s devious and secretive. “Originally, before she left that ro…”

“Left? You mean taken! Damnit, Yon, I can’t believe…”

“This again! How many times do we have to do this until you let that go?”

Carol’s fists begin glowing with a gold and blue-ish ball of energy around them. Her companion, Yon, quiets down, although the smirk remains. Everything about him rubs me the wrong way: the tone of his voice, his piercing yellow eyes, his smug attitude.

“What are Ravagers?” I try to change the subject, sorry I asked.

He smirks at me this time. “Annoying interplanetary pirates and salvagers. And to answer your first question, I don’t think either of you quite count as fully human anymore. Now are you done playing 20 questions?”

I smirk back. “Just one more, what were those...those Ravagers after?”

They both glance at me, sharing a quizzical look between the two of them. “You don’t know?”

“Well, no.”

Carol turns around to face me fully, her face and tone suddenly serious. “Nine days ago, there was a strange energy signal that just appeared out of nowhere. No planet, no ship anywhere near it - deep space. It appeared on my ship’s readings, and I can only imagine it appeared on the Ravagers as well, and who knows who else saw it. Thankfully, we got there first, but the Ravagers thought they still had a chance. Probably doesn’t help that I'm in one of their former ships…”

A pit in my stomach started to form. I knew the answer, but I had to ask anyway. “What did you find?”

Carol looks at me sadly. “You, half dead, comatose, and cocooned in some sort of energy field.”

I slouch back into my chair, her eyes still watching me. “I was out for nine days? Where even are we?”

“Exiting deep space, enroute to Xandar to refuel and get more supplies, and possibly to get you better medical attention if you hadn’t woken up yet.”

“Not back to Earth?”

“Your DNA isn’t exactly the same as what I remember human DNA looking like. I know mine isn’t the best for comparison, but I wasn’t sure where you’d come from..”

I can feel a blush rising to my cheeks as I realize how foolish my question has been. “I forget about that sometimes. Still getting used to it.”

“Did someone do this to you? Change your DNA?” One eyebrow raises in question, or possibly challenge.

“Lovely, another stubborn enhanced woman from C-23,” Yon mutters, turning back to the controls. “I think I liked her better in a coma.”

Ignoring the git, I kept my focus on Carol.“No, it was an accident, no one made me this way but my own actions.”

“Someone who accepts her circumstances with responsibility! I changed my mind, I actually might like her after all.”

Another sigh from Carol. “Rose, this is Yon-Rogg, my current traveling companion.” He snorts, and she just glares back at him. “Albeit unhappy companions. It’ll be nice to have someone else to talk to for a while.” When she smiles at me, it reaches her eyes, and I can’t help but smile back. “You hungry?”

“Starving! You got any chips?”


	2. Does this count as an interrogation?

“You two don’t seem to be the best of friends,” I point out between bites.  _ Not chips, but not bad, _ I think, looking down at the bowl of soup in front of me.  _ Tastes a bit like tomato. _

Carol sits with me at a small table in the mess area, located on the lower deck of the ship. The lighting is just as poor down here, and I can’t actually make out the true color of the soup. She sips a cup of coffee, having just stared at me while I ate until I broke the silence. “We have a bit of a complicated history.”

I stop eating for a moment. “Is he your ex?”

She simply raises an eyebrow at my response, taking another sip of her coffee. “He was my commanding officer, once. Then we were enemies. And now we’re begrudging allies.”

“Sounds like quite the long story.” I resume eating, the warmth from the soup already helping me feel better.

A small smirk appears at the corner of her mouth. “Yours might be longer.”

Unable to help myself, a full laugh bubbles out of my chest. “Oh, I guarantee mine is longer.” There’s a moment of silence that follows, as if she’s waiting for me to open up and prove it, but I don’t take the bait. “I was barely conscious, so I could be wrong, but did I hear you mention the Tesseract earlier?”

Her cup comes to rest on the table with a thump, her eyes suddenly hard. “What do you know about the Tesseract?” 

“Only a bit, I helped track it when it was stolen last year.”

“Stolen?”

I swallow the last of my soup. “Yeah, a rather angsty god decided to steal it and use it to open up a portal for his Chitauri army to attack Earth.” At her look of worry I quickly summed up the ending (and left out quite a few factors). “Don’t worry though, we defeated them, closed the portal, and the Tesseract is safe on Asgard now.”

“Asgard? I told Fury to keep it on Earth.” 

I bit back a smile at the memory of Fury trying in vain to convince Thor to leave it on Earth. “I’m sure the Director would have preferred that, but it wasn’t his decision. Anyways, it’s safer there.”

Both her eyebrows shoot up. “Director?”

I nod. “Mm-hm, Director Fury of SHIELD. You know him?”

“He’s a friend.”

“Didn’t think Fury had friends, just assets.”

Carol’s expression softens. “He’s a big softie, especially for cats.”

Yon-rogg strides into the doorway, his jumpsuit almost identical to Carol’s except for the coloring of green and black. “We’re nearing the jump point. Do you still want to stop at Xandar?”

Any softness she had shown is pulled back and replaced with hardness. “No, we’ll need to stop somewhere a bit more discreet. Their security is good, but the Ravager’s could still follow us there. We need to get out of their normal areas.”

He nods, apparently pleased with her answer. “As you wish,  _ Captain _ .” 

She narrows her eyes at him, but doesn’t say anything as he turns and walks away. 

“You could cut that tension with a knife,” I point out, earning an eye-roll in response.

“You’re Kree, right? I recognize the uniforms now: Star Force.” 

After eating, Carol had shown me to an empty bunk, hers just above it. I’d tried to sleep, but thoughts and images of the Void kept me from getting any rest. That, and Carol’s snoring above me. Hoping to see more stars, I’d wandered back to the cockpit, only to find Yon-rogg there.

He turns at my statement, his expression still schooled but less calculating. “You are familiar with Kree?”

“Only through what I’ve heard from aliens visiting Earth. A group of noble warrior heroes, sworn to serve for the good of all Kree.”

His yellow eyes bore into mine, as if taking me in for the first time. “I seem to have misjudged you.”

I smile, a wolf’s smile, sitting down in the seat next to him. “I get that a lot, actually.”

My gaze goes to the windscreen, at the glowing stars and colorful nebulas surrounding us.  _ I could get used to a view like this _ .

“She’d let you stay, if you wanted,” Yon-rogg breaks the silence. “She actually likes you.”

“I have a family back on Earth. And a team. I…” I hesitate, remembering all of the hurn and pain that awaits me back home. “I should go back.”

His eyes narrow in thought. “Don’t use her as an excuse to run away from your problems. You’d just end up dragging her with you to face them in the end.”

I pull my gaze away from the vast space before us and look at him. “You care about her?”

He doesn’t meet my gaze, but I can see he’s thinking hard about his response. “Yes.”

“She said you were her commanding officer, then enemies. What changed?”

“You ask a lot of questions about someone you only just met. Especially when you offer no information about yourself.”

“I’m not ready to talk about me yet.”

“Then why talk to me at all? Why not just sit here in silence?” 

Turning away, I try not to let him see how right he was.  _ I’m not avoiding sleeping, I’m just not tired _ , I try reasoning with myself.

As if sensing my thoughts, he continues, his voice taking on a softer tone. “She used to have nightmares, too. Every morning, she’d show up at my door, looking for an outlet to channel her emotions. And every morning I’d indulge her. Maybe you need a similar outlet.”

I stay silent, trying not to think about my nightmares and instead mentally punching the man next to me in the face. “At least tell me why you two decided to team up? I’m guessing it had to be something important to put up with your pompous ass.”

He smirks slightly in response. “An exchange then? I’ll answer your questions if you answer some of mine.” 

My eyes narrow slightly at the manipulation. Classic bargaining technique for information. Although I didn’t want to think at all about what had brought me here, I did want to know more about my rescuers. Finally, I nod my head in confirmation.

The answering grin and gleam in his yellow eyes makes me instantly regret it. “What do you know of Ronan the Accuser?”

Completely taken aback by his first question, the surprise shows on my face before I can school my features back to neutral. “Hardly anything, just whispers about his reputation. Quite fond of fire and destruction from what I’ve been told. Probably didn’t take too well to the Xandar/Kree peace treaty.”

“No, he did not. He and a portion of Accusers that still believe in the old ways have taken it upon themselves to - how did he put it? Ah yes, ‘exterminate Xandar and all that it stands for’. Although I can’t say I completely agree with the Xandar treaty, I know for a fact that what he’s doing is no in the best interest of the Kree empire or its people.”

“So what does that have to do with you and Carol?”

He squirms slightly, clearing his throat, but he holds up his end of the bargain. “I’ve been keeping an eye on Ronan’s activities. Recently I learned that he was making plans to try and subdue her and use her as a weapon against Xandar.”

“You want to protect her?”

“Ah-ah,” he holds a wagging finger up. “It’s my turn to ask a question. Why is there a bounty on your head? Although mostly only known among the black market, there are others who have found out as well.”

I can feel my eyes widen at this new turn. I’d known I had a target on my back after...well, after that run in with one of Thanos’ minions; I had no idea how wide it had spread. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Please don’t lie, I thought we were getting along!” His voice is stern but disappointed. “Vers may not recognize you, but I do. It’s why the Ravagers are after you, isn’t it?”

“That was two questions,” I point out.

Two eyebrows shoot up across from me. “Well you lied the first time, so it’s only fair I get two questions.”

“I’m not sure if that’s the reason the Ravagers would want me, but yeah, I do know there’s a price on my head.” Instinctively I pull my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them. 

“You still haven’t answered my first question.”

“Thanos wants me dead. Now answer my question.”

His eyes roll, clearly annoyed. “For six years it was my job to protect her, to make her a better version of herself. It’s a habit I have yet to break.” There’s tension in his voice, like he doesn’t want to express any emotion about the subject.

I take a moment to process what he’s said.  _ He keeps making it sound like she’s his to protect, to take care of. Like she can’t do it on her own. He was in control of her for six years, and now she has control.  _ “Protection and possession are two completely different things. I don’t know what happened, but if you ever want her to forgive you, you’ll have to figure out the difference. If she’s anything like me, she doesn’t need anyone to save her or make decisions for her.” 

“Why do I have the feeling we’re not talking about her anymore?” He practically smirks, his voice full of amusement. My anxiety bubbles up, soft tendrils of light forming around my closed fists. I can see the moment he notices, surprise then desire crossing his face. “Were you born this way or made?”

My eyes close, blocking him and everything else out for a moment, focusing solely on breathing. When they reopen, everything is back to normal. “Neither. I chose this. Did you make Carol the way she is?”

He scoffs. “Hardly. She did it to herself in an attempt to keep the power core - the Tesseract - from me. Where did the power inside you come from?” He’s barely blinking, drawing me in, and speaking quickly.

“I looked into the heart of a living time machine and absorbed part of the Time Vortex. Does the Kree government know you’re here?”

“I was given an honorable discharge and early retirement following the peace treaty. What is the Time Vortex?”

“The Time Vortex is the dimensional plane where time and space meet. It is made up of infinite strands of energy that criss-cross throughout all Space-Time. Why do you hate me?”

“I don’t trust you, there’s a difference. Why don’t you want to go back to your home?”

“I...I,” I stutter, breaking our quick-pace back and forth. “I’m not ready yet. There’s so much waiting for me, I don’t think I can face it yet.”

“Could you two keep it down, some of us are trying to sleep,” Carol grunts, plopping haphazardly into the nearest seat. She doesn’t get to enjoy it long, as Yon-Rogg stands up suddenly and pulls Carol out of her spot by her arm. “What the hell?”

“What are you planning to do with her?” Yon-rogg whispers to her. There’s a slight inflection to his voice.  _ Guess the gift of the Tardis is still with me. The pollock is probably speaking in a Kree dialect and doesn’t think I can understand him. _

“What are you talking about, Yon?” Her voice isn’t quite as much as a whisper, but it’s low enough I have trouble picking it up.

“How do we know we can trust her? Who is she really? How did she survive just floating about in the cosmos?”

“What, you didn’t get enough from your interrogation?” I hear Carol pause and then sigh. “Ignoring all that, it wouldn’t be fair to drag her into our fight against Ronan anyways.”

“For all we know, she could be working with him. Let’s just drop her off on the nearest planet, leave her some credits, and let her find her own way.”

“No!” 

“He has a point,” I chime in, silently appreciating both of their dumbfounded looks.

“You can understand Kree?” His voice is full of doubt and skepticism.

“Can pretty much understand any language, me. Call it a gift.”

One of Carol’s eyebrows shoot up, but no question spills out. I continue, “I’m grateful to both of you for saving me, and as much as I’d like to help, I think I’d just be in your way.” 

“Why so eager to get away now? Off to tell Ronan we’re coming?” Yon-Rogg stalks towards me, his eyes narrowing, his body ready to lunge at me. “Or are you afraid of something? Did I find out too much about you, then? Decided you want to be a lone wolf?”

“Shut up!” I shout, standing abruptly as my anger flares at his last comment. I can feel the tendrils of energy surrounding me, my vision has that tell-tale golden tint that only comes with the power of Bad Wolf. Even my voice has a strange otherworldly quality to it. “Shut up! You know nothing about me!”

As quickly as my anger has risen, it dies away. The careful wall I had built around my emotions since waking up here had crumbled, letting out all my anger, pain, and loneliness. I fall back into my seat, tears silently streaming down my face as the force of it all hits me like a tidal wave. I don’t even notice Carol crouching in front of me, one strong yet gentle hand resting on my knee. “Rose, breathe.” 

“I’m all alone,” I cry out, my voice broken.

Using her thumb, she rubs small comforting circles on my knee. “Shh, you’re not alone, Rose. We’re right here.”

There was a tense but simple understanding after my outburst: no asking about my past anymore. Although I knew it couldn’t last forever, I was enjoying the somewhat normal routine that had formed over the last five or so days - honestly it was hard to tell in unfamiliar space. Although the company is a nice distraction, I know this situation can’t last forever.

Carol knows the same.

“I think I know how to get you back home - if that’s what you want.” We’re sitting in the cockpit, watching the stars go by as we continue towards the next jump point.

I don’t yet tear my gaze from a far-off nebula, only half paying attention to what she’s saying. “Uh-huh.”

“If I give one of the escape pods a boost with one of my photon blasts, you’ll have more than enough power to reach Earth relatively quickly.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And while we’re at it, I think we should stop and try looking for a unicorn and a dodo bird!”

“Uh-huh.”

“Rose! Have you listened to anything I've been saying?” Turning momentarily away from the controls, she flicks me, sending a slight shock through my entire system.

“Hey! What the hell!” Finally turning to her, fully annoyed at the rude awakening from my thoughts, I can’t stay annoyed for long. She’s sitting there smirking, shoulders bouncing with barely restrained laughter. “What ya do that for?”

“You’ve quite literally been staring off into space ignoring me. I’ve been trying to tell you I thought of a way to get you back to Earth.”

“Oh, really? That’s great.” Forcing a smile, I try to feel happy about this news.

Carol rolls her eyes. “Don’t sound so excited. Is this what you want to do?”

A moment passes as I ponder her question. “My place is on Earth, it’s where I think I need to be.”

She smiles at me softly, not in amusement like she normally does, but with an understanding I see in her eyes. “I know what you mean. Whenever you want, I’ll get it ready.”

“Probably best to go soon, before I get lost looking out in space again,” chuckling, I try to look pleased. “Got to face reality eventually. I can’t just run from everything, hard as I might try.”

Carol rises and puts a hand on my shoulder. Without even realizing it, I cover it with one of my own. “For someone so young, you act like the whole universe is weighing on your shoulders. Know that you’re not alone with this burden, Rose. There are those of us to help you share it.” I can only nod as she slides her hand away and walks off to make preparation for my trip home.

It takes her less than an hour to walk back into the cockpit, Yon-Rogg not far behind her. He’s probably glad to see me leaving. “Safe travels, Miss Tyler,” he nods, a slight twitch of his lips betrays his stoic mask.

“Good riddance, Yon-Rogg,” I mutter as I walk past him. Carol chuckles, falling into step behind me. “You shouldn’t trust him, you know. He doesn’t deserve it.”

“Believe me, I know,” her voice sounds sad suddenly, and I’m somewhat sorry I brought up their poor history. “I’ve got something for you,” stopping before the escape pod door, pulling a small object out of her pocket.

“My phone!” I hold it carefully once she places it in my hands. “I thought I’d lost it in the Void!”

“It held up surprisingly well for traveling through space. I hope you don’t mind, but I made just a few upgrades. And added a direct line.” There’s a slight blush as she tucks a few strands of blonde hair back behind her ear. “I would normally say, ‘for emergencies only,’ but I’ll make an exception for you.”

She’s tense when I pull her into an abrupt hug, although she soon softens and reciprocates by wrapping her arms around me as well. “I can’t thank you enough, Carol.”

My insides flutter slightly when she smirks playfully at me as she pulls away. “Just go protect Earth for me, okay?”

“I think I can do that.”

  
  


Peace and quiet for once in a long, long time.

You know the problem with peace and quiet? Your head gets in the way of actually enjoying it. Especially now, with nothing to distract me from the million thoughts whirling around in my head - nothing to distract me from the anxiety that won’t seem to go away. It didn’t help that there wasn’t much in the escape pod to help, either. No telly, no radio that I could find, not even a big red threatening button to ponder over.

Right now, I just want to talk to someone who can help make it all go away. Pulling out my mobile, I decide the best thing to do is talk to the one person who always made me feel better, even during my darkest days. I smile as I flip it open and see a full signal, courtesy of the Doctor all those years ago.

There’s only one dial tone before I hear a voice on the other end of the line.

“Oh my God, Rose! Honey, I’ve been so worried! Where have you been? Are you alright? Are you hurt? Where are you? Do you want me to send Pete to get you? Is that strange alien man still with you? Why didn’t you reach out, it’s been weeks since I saw you on that beach…”

“Mum, calm down,” I interrupt, pinching the bridge of my nose in an attempt to stop the headache I could tell was coming if she kept screeching at me. “I’m heading back home. And I’m fine, mostly. Just me now though, I’m alone again.”

“Oh sweetheart, I’m sorry. I know breakups are hard.” She hesitates for a few moments, neither of us saying anything. “I expect you want to talk to little Tony then, yeah? He always seems to make you feel better.”

“If you wouldn’t mind.” 

I hear some background noise as my mum shouts for my six year old little brother, followed by lots of loud footsteps and what could have been a crashing noise before a light voice begins to speak. “Hi Wose! I miss you!”

Silent tears make their way down my face. Despite actually knowing how to say my name properly, the little boy knew how much I liked how he still said my name the way he did when he first learned to talk. “Hello Tony, I miss you too.”

“Are you coming home soon? You missed Christmas. Daddy said you were saving the world again, so it was okay.”

“I’m not sure when I’ll be home. I need to figure some things out first. Remember our secret?”

His voice turns to a whisper. “You mean your superpower?”

My lips twitch upwards. “Uh-huh. I need to learn how to control it, to use it to help people.”

“But you already do,” his confused voice was still hushed.

“I’m not sure I really do, Tony. I think I’ve just been lucky so far, but I need to get better at it, just like you want to get better at riding your bike.”

“Are you going to find a teacher? Mummy says I need a teacher to learn new things.”

His words start repeating themselves over and over in my head.  _ A teacher? Can anyone even understand this power, let alone teach me to control it? _ My mind traitorously turns to Loki, how he had once helped me control it. “Maybe something like that. You really are the smart one, you know that?” 

I can picture his little smirk at my comment, having heard it many times. “You always say that.”

“And I mean it every time. I love you, Tony. I promise I’ll see you soon.”

“I love you too, Rose.”

I feel better after hearing my little brother’s voice. But his suggestion still weighs on my thoughts.

I miss Mickey. He could have helped me.  _ You don’t need a companion _ , I think,  _ you don’t need anyone anymore. _

“But I still need help,” I say out loud to myself. “Help me.” My request comes out as a whisper, my focus on that part in the back of my mind where Bad Wolf remained. But nothing happens, there’s no answer. I can barely even feel her normally warm nudge. 

_ You don’t need to control what isn’t there, _ my thoughts whisper. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'll be honest, I'm having trouble writing this because of some things in my personal life. Although he won't appear for a few more chapters, and we all love Loki being his dark and brooding self, I never want him to come across as abusive. There's nothing romantic about being emotionally or physically abusive, and I in no way want our favorite character to come across in that way.


	3. I Don't Go Looking For Trouble...

I’m really starting to think there’s some kind of time rift hiding beneath New York City that I’m subconsciously drawn to. What other reason could there be for my constant reappearance here when traveling. Like seriously, what’s with this place?

The pod lands - well, crashes really - quite conveniently on a beach of what could only be the Hudson River, the brown and green tinted waters making me grimace. There’s a little red lighthouse just down the shoreline, and not the usual mass of cars driving along the bridge hovering over me leading across the river. Kicking open the hatch, a cool rush of fresh air surrounds me. I inhale deeply, taking in the smells of Earth - the smells of home. 

With a large amount of difficulty, I manage to push the pod into the Hudson, hopefully hiding any traces of it in the murky waters. Wiping the sand from my hand onto my jeans, I begin trekking up towards the city. 

Two hours and forty five minutes later, there’s a small pang in my abdomen as I stand in front of Avengers tower, the only place I could think of as safe to go for right now. The last time I had been here was the Battle of New York, or “the incident” as the locals called it. My hand instinctively goes to my scar, where I’d been stabbed by Loki’s scepter trying to protect Agent Coulson. I’d woken up in the penthouse of this tower bleeding and in pain, but Loki was there to help heal and comfort me. I thought I’d found something with him; I thought I’d loved him. But I suppose I was solely a distraction to him. 

Shaking my head to try and remove these thoughts, I move towards the door and the new memories to be had inside the rebuilt structure. 

The lobby hadn’t changed too much, still all white and grey tiles and wood linings. I knew Tony had done some restructuring, but I wasn’t sure what all that meant. Walking up to the front desk, a young man smiles at me in greeting. He looks young, maybe college age, with sandy brown hair and matching eyes. In his ear was one of those Bluetooth earpieces.

“Good afternoon, ma’am. How can I help you?”

“Yeah, hi. My name’s Rose, Rose Tyler.”

“Miss Tyler!” The kid exclaims suddenly. “Oh, it’s so nice to finally meet you. You’re one of the only floor holders to have never visited after the remodel. Here, let me get you all set up…” He’s distracted momentarily as he starts typing away on the computer at the counter. “All I need is your thumbprint and for you to enter your preferred password into this keypad.”

I comply, placing my thumb on the scanner. “What’s all this for?”

“So you can access your floor,” he answers, so matter of factly like it was the obvious answer. “All but you and Miss Romanoff’s codes were pre-programmed by Mr. Stark, but he thought you would want to choose for yourself.” Continuing to type something in, he doesn’t look at me as he keeps talking, “Aaand, you’re all set! The ninth floor is all yours, Miss Tyler. Mr. Stark is in a meeting in the penthouse. Let me know if there’s anything else you need.”

“Thank you, I will…” glancing at his name tag, “Spencer.” 

He smiles largely at the use of his name. I walk away before he can offer me anything else, but also eager to see the ninth floor. I make my way towards the lift, memories of my last ride in this elevator overwhelming as the doors shut and the lift ascends.  _ Maybe coming here was a bad idea, _ I think to myself. 

My doubts disappeared when the doors ding open, revealing an entire floor built for me. It was amazing. There were windows all around, letting natural light into every area of the massive room. It was like a giant studio apartment, with a fully stocked kitchen, bathroom, and spacious bedroom separated from the rest by a single wall. One whole corner of the area was dedicated to physical training, complete with treadmill, boxing bag, and weights. Tony had even gone as far as to build me an office area, with cork boards from floor to ceiling to pin up papers and two massive glass boards with markers. Maybe New York wasn’t as bad as I was dreading it would be.  _ This place is going to ruin how I see my apartment in London, _

On a whim, I walk back into the elevator and press the indicator for the penthouse. It’s been months since I’d seen or heard from Tony. I’m startled from my thoughts by the  _ ding _ of the elevator, slowly exiting and walking towards the familiar sound of the billionaire’s voice.

“Plus, something about getting it off my chest, and putting it out there in the atmosphere instead of holding this in...I mean, this is what gets people sick, you know.” Tony Stark is lounging in a black leather chair in a little seating area beyond his lab setup, seemingly talking to a hunched over figure passed out on the nearby couch. I stop in the entryway, arms folding across my chest and shoulder leaning up against the archway. 

Tony’s eyes must have been closed for a while to not notice his sleeping companion. “Wow, I had no idea you were such a good listener. To be able to share all my intimate thoughts and experiences with someone - it just cuts the weight of it in half. You know, it’s like a snake swallowing its own tail. Everything comes full circle.”

His companion stirs and drops the pen he’d been holding, revealing the face of none other than Bruce Banner. 

Tony’s eyes open at the sound, but continues talking completely unaware Bruce was just now awake, “And the fact that you’ve been able to help me process…” Tony breaks off as he finally glances over, seeing Bruce rubbing his eyes and trying to wake up. “Are you with me?”

“I was, yeah,” the mild-mannered scientist replies, his voice gruff from sleep.

I can’t help but smile. “He’s lying.”

Both men freeze, looking to me in unison, all shock and awe. “Rose Tyler! Where the hell have you been?” 

“Tony? I -” Before I can say anything more, he’s up and out of the chair, crushing me in a bear hug. “Can’t breathe,” I playfully gasp, getting him to surrender his hold; his hands still remain on my arms, as if afraid to let go.

“I can’t believe you’re actually here! God, we were all so worried! No one has seen you since... well, you know... and now you just show up here? Where have you been? Are you okay? Were you hurt?”

“Goodness, Tony, you’re asking more questions than my mum!” I chuckle, pulling out of his hold and taking a seat next to Bruce on the couch, sensing more questions and most likely a long conversation.

“It’s nice to see you again,” Bruce says with a warm - though much gentler - hug.

He never stops looking at me as he resumes his place in the chair. “Where were you, Rosie?”

I let out a sigh and smirk slightly. “The world needed saving again. I had a job to do.”

He leans forward with his elbows on his knees. “What? Another alien attack so soon after-”

“It was complicated. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but you were all scattered about trying to pull your lives back together, and I...I had to go find an old friend.”

“You could have still asked,” Bruce replies softly.

I look down at my lap, suddenly guilt ridden that I hadn’t even thought of asking any of my new teammates for their help. “You’re right, and I am sorry. But the universe is safe again, for now,” I mutter the last bit, knowing it was inevitable to have peace for long.

“Well at least now you’re home, and you’re alright?” Tony raises an eyebrow in question, leaning back comfortably in his chair. 

Smiling, I nod. “Yeah, I’m good. Just got back a few hours ago actually. Spencer said he’d let you know I arrived, but I thought I’d come surprise you.”

His head tilts in question. “Spencer?”

I sigh and roll my eyes. “The kid you employ down at the front desk?”

“Correction: the kid Pepper employs down at the front desk. I let her handle that bit. I find she’s better with people.”

“You don’t say?” I feign surprise, my brows coming to scrunch together as I notice something about his chest. More accurately, something lacking about his chest. “Oh my God, Tony, where’s your arc reactor?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, I took it out. I was just telling Bruce here all about it...although he was too busy actively napping to really listen.”

“I...I drifted. I’m sorry, I’m not that kind of doctor. I’m not a therapist, it’s not my training. I don’t have the temperament.” 

I can feel my eyes widen. “I’m sorry, took it out? How?”

“Actually it wasn't that hard once I figured it out. You should really be surprised it took me so long to think of it.” 

“So many changes...how have you both been? I know it’s been a while since we talked -”

Tony gives me a disapproving look. “A while? Try a few months.”

“Look, Tony, m’sorry, okay? I get you probably have been having a rough time, but don’t think you’re the only one with problems!” My voice has raised slightly, not in the mood to be scolded for doing what had to be done.

Looking closer, I see the corner of his mouth twisted up in a smirk. “There’s my Rosie; stubborn and bullheaded as always.” Scooting forward, he holds his hand out in a peace offering. “Parlay?”

Eyes narrowing in suspicion, I slowly take his hand in my own. “Agreed. Now, you got any rum here? I think we could both use a drink.”

  
  


_ I’m breathing hard, my body glistening with sweat, looking into the impossibly green eyes in front of me. Loki has me pressed up against a wall, his body all around me. He uses his magic to hold my arms above my head, using both his hands to hold my naked body up as he moves in and out of me in long, slow thrusts. My legs were wrapped around his hips, trying to pull him in faster and harder, to send me over the edge. He was too strong though, resisting my struggles with ease. “I want you to beg, Rose. Tell me just how you want it. Make me promises. Scream out your need for me.” _

_ My whole body burns with need. Somehow, he knew exactly what spots would send pleasure shooting through my body and what would bring me down and away from tipping over that peak. He held power over me with barely a touch, and I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of giving in without a fight. _

_ “So stubborn, little wolf. I can tell you’re desperate for release, I can see it in your eyes. Say it, Rose, tell me how desperate you are,” he growls. Suddenly, he pulls out of me completely, leaving me feeling empty and wanting. His attention shifts down to my breasts, his mouth lowering to suck one of my nipples in his mouth, rolling the other between his fingers. _

_ “Please, Loki, please,” I whimper, finally giving in as the burning need inside me grows stronger, consuming me.  _

_ “Tell me what you want, darling,” he says before swapping his talented tongue to my other side. _

_ “Loki, please! I want you, I need you inside me. Just please, let me come!” _

_ Immediately, his pace changed, his body slamming into mine with each thrust picking up the pace as he went. One hand moves between us, finding that little bundle of nerves and rubbing his thumb against it, finally pushing me over the edge. I cried out his name as pleasure coursed through my veins.  _

_ He keeps up the fast pace, my body hypersensitive after my orgasm. My back arches with renewed pleasure, my second orgasm building. “Look at me,” I moan. His green eyes meet mine, dark with lust and passion. “I love you, my lonely god. I know I’ve never said it, but I need you to know that it’s true.” _

_ His lips crash against mine in a searing kiss, his hips changing angles slightly to hit that sweet spot inside me with every thrust. My second orgasm rips through me as his head dips down and bites the dip where my shoulder and neck meet. His release follows, his eyes returning to mine as his seed fills me, leaving me sated and satisfied. _

I wake with a gasp, breathing hard at the memory of my dream. My sheets are damp with sweat, and my underwear a different sort of damp. “Maybe I shouldn’t have come here,” I say out loud. Part of me wished there was someone here to talk to, to get my thoughts on something else. Although Tony and Bruce were but a call away, they wouldn’t understand; so it was moments like this that left me feeling lonely. Even after the battle, I’d been able to talk to Loki in my dreams. Now, it just felt like my dreams were haunted.

Sunlight was beginning to peak into the room through the cracks in the window shades. My head throbbed and my throat felt completely dry. I want to simply lay in bed until this headache goes away, but my bladder has other ideas. Rolling over, I grab my phone off my nightstand, the time reading six a.m.  _ Probably not getting anymore sleep tonight, _ I tell myself,  _ might as well get up for the day. _

A small notification bubble pops up at the top of my phone screen, alerting me to a text message. Clicking on my messages icon, I see it’s from Steve Rogers (or Cap as my phone contact says).

  
  


**Rose, Stark says you’re back in the country. I still haven’t found a running partner yet, maybe you could come to D.C. soon and help me out? I’m sure Nat would like to see you as well. Hope you're doing alright, haven’t heard from you in a long time. I’m always here if you need me - Steve**

  
  


Sighing, I roll out of bed and grab the first pair of leggings and a hoodie I can find, heading out for a run, trying not to dwell on the early morning text or the man who sent it.

I always ran a lot with the Doctor. Granted, it was usually running to save my own skin, Now I saw it as peaceful and calming, a way to clear my head after a bad night of dreams. Reminded me of better days, of easier days, when life didn’t seem so difficult or confusing, or...or...lacking. I hated to admit it, especially not over another pompous alien man, but I felt that empty, crushing loneliness inside me again.  _ Don’t go down that rabbit hole, Rose, _ a voice in my head sternly tells me. Giving in, I quicken my steps and high tail it towards Central Park. 

Out of everywhere on Earth, I landed back in New York City, the city so good they named it twice. The universe was vast and complicated, but very rarely did coincidences happen by accident; usually people just don’t put the puzzle pieces together. This chilly March morning though, the pieces finally start falling into place.

A newspaper stand catches my eye, my brain requiring a second look as I slow to a jog and loop back around. My legs stop moving all together as my thoughts try to catch up with what I was printed in front of me: 

  
  


**NYU Student Who Killed Her Own Parents Claims Mind Control**

Hope Schlottman, recently arrested for the murder of her parents Bob and Barbera Schlottman, might get a good deal claiming insanity. The former NYU track star told police that she never meant to kill her parents, that she was forced to do it…

  
  


I can feel my heart beating faster in my chest, no longer caused by cardiovascular activity.  _ There’s no way,  _ I think, trying to rationalize my fears.  _ It can’t be him. _ Skipping down to the bottom of the article, the reporter goes on to say:

  
  


In a very surprising turn of events, Miss Schlottman’s case has been taken by the high profile defense lawyer Jeri Hogarth. Although declining to comment on the case, Ms. Hogarth’s office claims they are looking into Miss Schlottman’s story to determine the whole truth of the matter and prove her claimed innocence.

  
  


“Hey lady, this ain’t a library! Either buy a paper or beat it!” The paper salesman shouts at me, bringing me back to the present moment. Setting the paper back in the holder, I give the pushy salesman a tight lipped smile and resume jogging back towards the tower. 

The work area on my floor of the tower gets put to use faster than I could have ever planned. Once returning to the tower, I had spent the next four hours researching, making notes, and tacking thoughts all over the area. A bit past noon, my grumbling stomach breaks my concentration. “Damn human biology and it’s constant need for energy input,” I mumble, stretching my sore muscles as I stand and head for the kitchen. Grabbing a bag of crisps, I walk back to the workspace, taking in everything so far. “I need to talk to the girl to know for sure,” I mumble to no one, talking out loud to myself. Abandoning the crisps on the nearest table, I decide to shower and go find her lawyer in order to investigate further.

Half an hour and I’m back out the door and walking through the city towards Jeri Hogarth’s office. It wasn’t too cold out today, so I didn’t mind walking the couple blocks towards my destination.

Upon arriving, I find the office packed full of people, a long line just to get to the front desk. As I’m deciding what I want to do, I see a thin, pale, dark-haired woman in sunglasses stalk through the door and walk straight to the front desk. The pretty blond receptionist seems to recognize her, simply pointing towards the stairs. The woman nods and heads that direction. Out of curiosity, I follow her from a distance up the stairs to a similarly crowded lobby. She’s talking to a woman I recognize from my earlier research, Jeri Hogarth. I take a seat out of their view behind a plant, close enough to hear what they’re saying.

“Jessica,” the lawyer greets, although there isn’t a hint of welcome in her tone. Her business suit is pristine, just like the rest of her office building. I suddenly feel slightly self-conscious, realizing I’m wearing the same clothes I was back when I first jumped to the Prime Dimension.

“Who are all these people?” The woman, Jessica, demands.

“They claim they were mind-controlled by Kilgrave,” the shark of a lawyer answers. My back immediately straightens, my body on alert at the mention of the Doctor’s harmful look-alike, my suspicions confirmed. 

“Maybe some of them are legit,” Jessica reasons.

“Oh, please. That Trish Talk interview turned him into the most popular alibi in the city.”

“You bought Dr. Kurata’s kidney story, why not at least talk to them?”

“Because I don’t have time for this right now…” the lawyer goes on, listing her personal problems.  _ She’s looking for others affected by Kilgrave, _ I realize.

Jessica’s voice suddenly calls out, “Who’s first?”

I decide to wait and lay low, letting the rest of the crowd in the waiting room go and tell their story. With that in mind, I start looking around at the people in the room around me, studying them. Part of me wants to call on Bad Wolf, use my power to try and see their timelines. I’d only done it once, with Donna, but I’m sure I could do it again. Thinking about timelines made me remember the Doctor; he could see timelines, and it was always a burden. Opening that door could be useful, yes, but it was also difficult. What if I saw too much, saw something terrible, but it was a fixed point in time? Could I live with that?

I sat musing over this dilemma for a few hours, watching the potential victims come and go from a conference room. Eventually, the sun begins to set and my stomach begins to rumble, reminding me all that I’d eaten today was a handful of potato crisps. I realize I’m the last one in the waiting area, meaning they’ll want to talk to me next. This wasn’t what I’d intended when I made my way here, but it was as good a plan as any.

“Next?” The pretty blonde receptionist from the front desk appeared, clearly talking to me.

“I don’t think I’m on the list,” I reply. “But I’d still like to go in, if you don’t mind?”

The woman sighs before giving me a tight lipped smile. “What’s one more?” She motions for me to follow her down the hallway to the conference room. Nodding my thanks, I push open the glass door to the room and walk in. There’s a large conference table taking up most of the room. Jeri Hogarth sits on one side, with a video camera setup on a tripod next to her. Jessica sits off to the other side; well, more like lounges off to the other side. She sits up straight when I come into view however, looking at me questioningly.

“Who are you? I thought that was all of them.”

Jeri Hogarth stands when she sees me, straightening her jacket and attempting to smile. “Goodness, Rose Tyler, isn’t it? I apologize for the busy state of my office. If I’d known you were here for a meeting we could’ve met privately…”

“No, it’s alright. I’m actually here to talk about Hope Schlottman.”

“Yes, of course! Miss Tyler, this is Jessica Jones, she’s a private consultant working on the Schlottman case as well. Please, take a seat,” the lawyer motions to the chair across from her, and I take a seat. She goes to press the record button on the camera.

“I’d rather you didn’t, if that's alright.”

Jessica narrows her eyes at me. Even with two new looking scrapes on her temple and cheek, she’s pretty. “What’s a rich-kid foreigner got to say that we can’t record? Afraid we’ll sell it to the tabloids?”

I tilt my head slightly, analyzing this woman. She exerted a strong, tough exterior, but she seemed defensive about something.  _ This is important to her, _ I think,  _ she’s not just trying to help Hope Schlottmen, she’s trying to avenge something - or someone. _ “I’m here to help Hope Schlottmen, because if she’s telling the truth - that she was forced to kill her parents - then we are all in danger. Kilgrave is real, and very dangerous.”

Jessica visibly relaxes as she resumes lounging in her chair. “Fine then, no video. Just tell us what you know.”

Taking a deep breath, I think back to that moment when I first saw Kilgrave.

  
  



	4. ...Trouble Usually Finds Me

_ He looks identical, with the same brown hair (albeit styled carefully instead of wild) and slight stubble he would get when we stayed on the Tardis too long. He was dressed in a light purple dress shirt, with a patterned purple tie and matching midnight purple suit. Odd , I think, but the Doctor’s style has always been odd. “Doctor?” I whisper. A feeling of emptiness fills me as this man looks at me with no recognition, only an expression of annoyance, like I was a piece of gum stuck to his shoe. “No, you ran into me. Now, say you’re sorry.” Even his voice sounds the same. _

“First time I met him, it was a few weeks after the Battle...er, the incident. I was just walking down the street when he quite literally bumped into me. He wanted me to apologize, but I didn’t want to. I could feel it, somehow he was making me want to obey him, like my brain was forcing me to agree with him. The interaction only lasted about ten minutes, then he let me go. The second time…”

“Second time?” Jessica interrupts. “You’ve seen him more than once?”

“That’s what I just said,” I retort, annoyed by the interruption. “Do you want me to stop?”

Hogarth smiles, a rather fake smile, and motions to Jessica to back down. “No, please, continue Miss Tyler.”

“As I was saying, the second time was an accident. I didn’t mean to be here, it was just a coincidence I ran into him again. I couldn’t resist that time, I was too exhausted from traveling to fight it. He made me go to dinner with him, then tried to get me to stay the night. I barely got away.”

Jessica is leaning towards me, her arm resting on the table. “You resisted him?” Even Hogarth looks intrigued.

“It doesn’t always work on me, I’m not entirely sure why.”

“How do we know you’re telling the truth? You could just be looking for attention like half the other people we’ve seen today.”

Sighing, I lean back in the chair, arms crossing over my chest. “Look, if I wanted attention, I could easily just go to the media and tell my story. I don’t want attention, I just want to help.”

Jessica contemplates my words for a moment. “Fine. Put her on the list,” she tells Hogarth. 

The lawyer stands and exits the room, talking to the blond receptionist just outside the door. I turn my attention to Jessica, lowering my tone. “I want you to know, I want to help Hope in any way I can. But I also want to find him. I have connections, people who can contain him.”

“Look, I don’t need your money or your help. I just want your statement so we can put this asshole behind bars.”

“You really think he’s just going to go to prison? You think a jail cell can hold him? Here,” I grab a piece of paper off the table and a pen, writing down my number. “I’m staying in the city for a few days. Please call me if I can help.”

“If you’ve actually met him, you know how dangerous he is.”

I nod. “I know, I barely got away from him the second time.”

Her head tilts sideways. “And just how did you manage that?”

I smile, not my usual bright smile though. It was a wolf’s smile. “He’s not the only one with abilities you know.”

Hogarth re-enters, flashing me another forced smile. “Thank you for your time, Miss Tyler. If you think of anything else or if I can be of any service in the future, don’t hesitate to contact my office.”

I stand, walking past Jessica Jones to shake hands with the older woman. “Of course.” The blonde is holding the door open for me, but before I’m through the door, I pause. “If you only ever push people away, you’ll be alone when you actually need them most.” Jessica frowns further, but doesn’t say anything as I continue out the door.

  
  


“Wose! Wose, you’re home!” I’m barely in the door before a little blonde-headed missile comes crashing into me, almost knocking me over with his momentum. He loosens his hold long enough for me to fall to my knees and embrace him fully, my arms locking tight around, my eyes closing to fully take in the feel of my little rock in my arms.

For all I care, time could freeze forever this way and I’d be content. 

“Oh my goodness! Rose, honey, you’re here!” Jackie Tyler’s shrill voice breaks through my contented haze. “Pete! Rose is back! Sweetheart, we were so worried about you!”

Reluctant to separate from the youngest Tyler, I wrap my arms tighter and stand, his arms knowingly wrapping around my neck to support himself. His head rests in the space between my neck and shoulder. Extending the arm not holding Tony, I let my mum pull us into a full on group hug (complete with her sniffling and all). My Step-dad, Pete, appears; a genuine smile on his face at the sight of his reunited family. “Welcome home, Rose. We’ve all certainly missed you.”

“How’d you get home, Wose? Did you take a spaceship?” Tony asks, eliciting a slight chuckle from us all.

“My friend Tony Stark flew me home on his private jet,” I smile at the boy, “I’d been away from you for too long. But now I’m home, and everything can go back to normal.”

_ Whatever normal is anymore,  _ I think to myself.

  
  
  


**Two weeks later.**

“Are you sure you’re ready to go back to work full time? You’ve only just got back, really.”

“I’m fine, Pete. And I could use the bit of normalcy. Plus, I can test out my new toy!”

My “new toy” was leftover Canon equipment altered to work like a Vortex Manipulator, although not quite as far reaching or as good. I called it a Space Hopper. Although some of the scientists working on the project wanted to continue searching for a way to make it travel Time as well as Space, I squashed those ambitions as soon as I could. Having this progressive of technology on 21st century Earth was one thing; meddling with Time would open up a whole number of unknown problems.

“Just be careful. I know how rough the last teleport system was on you.”

I roll my eyes and try to be dismissive of the time when I was jumping across dimensions to find the Doctor. “That was different. And I’m just testing it in a lab, not hopping all around Time and Space!”

With a sigh, his shoulders slump slightly in a defeated motion. “All right then, just promise me you'll be safe. Your mum and I...we worry about you. You’ve been acting like everything is back to normal again, but I can tell something’s off.”

He wasn’t far off point. Ever since breaking through to this world again, my connection to Bad Wolf had been acting strangely; lately trying to channel the power of the Time Vortex for more than a few minutes left me completely and utterly drained. Bad Wolf herself had been rather absent as well, leaving me feeling all too alone when not around other people.

“Just adjusting, that’s all,” I lie, smiling slightly to convince him. “Promise I’ll be safe.”

He gives me a tight lipped smile in return. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

  
  
  


“Morning, Rose!” Doctor Campbell greets me cheerfully as I walk through the front doors of the Torchwood office. Previously the lead scientist of our retired Dimension Canon project, he was now Head of the Physical Anomalies Department.

“Good morning, Doctor Campbell. You’re awfully chipper this morning,” I reply. I’ve always liked the scientist. He wasn’t a tall man, only slightly taller than myself; slender, with a full head of brown hair, and thin, narrow glasses he often looks over. 

He holds a steaming cup of tea in one hand, and makes a gesture implying I follow him with the other. “I’ve discovered something quite spectacular. I think you might enjoy this.”

I fall into step next to him, following him to his lab. Covering the walls are charts and pictures of stars and planets, mathematical equations scrawled out on any empty space available. “What is this, doctor?”

“Strange phenomena we’ve been following for a few weeks: shifts in gravity, spatial extrusions, physical anomalies occurring at random that should have no way of happening.” His voice has a sense of awe and wonder to it. “We’ve never seen anything like it.” Sitting down at a desk, equally littered in papers, he types in a few sentences before pulling up a new chart. “We think we’ve picked up a pattern. If I’m right, the next anomaly should happen...here,” he points to a suburban location just outside of London. “We estimate it will occur sometime next month.” 

“Very impressive, doctor,” nodding my approval, my eyes never leaving the charts and satellite pictures before me.

“I can’t take all the credit for this discovery I’m afraid. I simply followed up on a lead discovered by Doctor Eric Selvig.”

“Eric Selvig?” I repeated, remembering the older scientist I had met on top of Stark Tower almost a year prior. 

“Yes, I figured it was worth looking into. Turns out he was onto something. I thought maybe, given your past run in together, you would want to investigate?”

I couldn’t contain the grin that covered my face. “That’s fantastic, doctor. Absolutely fantastic!” I turn and almost run out of the room in my hurry to begin a new adventure. “Think my Space Hopper will be ready in time?”

“The ‘space hopper’ as you call it, should theoretically be ready for testing by then. Right now, all we can get to work is the teleport function. The geographical coordinates specification is proving difficult, but we think we’re close to solving that issue.” He follows me towards the lab, his pace quick to try and catch up with me.”

“I don’t suppose I could be of any assistance?” I ask, turning around and walking backwards.

“I thought you’d never ask!” He cheerfully replies.

A ringing from my mobile makes me slow my steps, waving the doctor on as I press answer. “Hello?”

“Hope’s dead. He killed her.”

My euphoria dissipates in the blink of an eye. “Jones?”

“You got a lot of people calling you with this kind of news? Obviously it’s me.”

“If you’re just calling to let me know, thanks, but I really -”

“I...I need your help. Everything’s going to shit and I can’t do this on my own, and I can’t let anyone else die because I couldn’t stop him.” Although coming across bitter and annoyed, I can hear the hurt and pain in her voice. She probably had to swallow all her pride to make this call.

“I can be there tonight,” I say softly, sealing my fate. “Where should I meet you?”

“I’ll text you my address. Come alone.” With a click, she ends the call, leaving me staring at my phone and wondering if I was getting in over my head.

“General Tyler, are you quite alright?” Doctor Campbell asks, concern worrying his expression.

“Yeah, m’fine. Something’s just come up, I’m afraid I’ll have to assist you another time.”

He frowns, “If you’re sure. And how long will you be away this time?”

“Hopefully only a few days, but who knows when it comes to me.”

“Well I reckon you’re mad: it’s like you go looking for trouble sometimes.”

I can’t help but smile at that. “Trouble’s just the bits in-between! There’s so much out there, so much to see, so much to do, I have to, you know?”

With a sigh he turns and walks away. “I’m not sure I’ll ever understand quite like you, but who am I to stop such a young adventurous spirit.”

Pulling out my phone again, I make another call. “Hey Pete, I need to be back in the States by tonight. Reckon I can borrow the jet?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short update today, but the next chapter will be much, much longer.


	5. AKA Take A Bloody Number

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Follows the storyline of Jessica Jones season 1, ep. 12.

I can’t wait for my Space Hopper to be finished, just so I can avoid these eight hour flights just to get somewhere. The domestic way of traveling is exhausting. 

Also, the time changes are absolutely terrible.

It was ten o’clock in the morning when I left London, and despite the long plane ride, it had the audacity to be around one in the afternoon here in New York City. The nerve.

Grabbing an overpriced coffee on my way out of the airport, I wave down the first cab I can find. “Where to miss?” The cabbie’s an older man, wearing a brown tweed golfing hat.

“485 West 48th Street, please,” I reply, pulling out my phone to text Pete and let him know I’d landed safely.

“Hell’s Kitchen? Yes ma’am.”

It was a short ride from the airport, the city still rebuilding and recovering from the battle here not too long ago. Even despite traffic, the cab comes to a stop and the driver turns to tell me we’d arrived. Handing him his fare, I step out, and take a look at the somewhat dilapidated apartment building I was about to walk into. “Allons-y,” I mutter under my breath as I pull open the door and walk to the elevator, pressing the button for the third floor. It makes an unsettling grinding noise as it ascends, I’m practically ready to pry open the doors by the time it reaches the desired floor. Jessica Jones’ apartment isn’t too hard to figure out from here; straight down the hallway is a door with a broken window, Jessica and a tall, well-built man behind her.

“You,” Jessica states, staring at me with brows furrowed.

“Who’s this?” The man asks, his face kind yet protective of the thin woman beside him.

“This is, uh…” Jessica starts, clearly having forgotten my name.

“I’m Rose, Rose Tyler. Jessica called me this morning.” I hold my hand out, and reluctantly he shakes it, his grip firmer than I expected.

“Luke Cage,” he offers, his voice calm yet deep, like the ocean.

“I thought you said evening,” Jessica bites, eyes narrowing at me.

I shrug. “Forgot about the time change. If it’s such an inconvenience I can always come back later?”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll fill you in on the way. And stop being such an asshole.”

A smile makes its way to my lips as I fall into step with her, and I can see a similar smirk on Luke’s face as we all step into the rickety elevator.

“So, summary. Hope’s dead, Kilgrave can’t control me anymore, but he’s on the loose, kidnapped his father, and tried to kill Luke.”

“How do we find him? What’s next?” I ask, trying to process the amount of information she simply dumped on me with such few words.

“I have a theory.”

We exit the elevator and the building and start trekking down the street, blindly following Jessica.

“So what’s your theory?” Luke asks.

“Kilgrave’s trying to increase his power so he can control me.”

“So how’s he get it?” I ask, trying to keep up with all that is going on.

“I don’t know, but he’s keeping his dad alive for some reason.”

“You should’ve called me sooner,” I quietly mention. Jessica looks back at me for a moment, her face unreadable, before facing forward again. 

“Maybe Kilgrave thinks Albert can improve upon his original work?” Luke adds.

Jessica rolls her eyes. “You can’t improve upon an asshole by making it bigger.”

Luke and Jessica stop in front of a large motorbike. “Guess we should take a cab,” Luke offers.

“I’ll pay,” I offer, though to no response. Deciding to anyway, I walk a bit further down the street, bringing two fingers to my lips to create a shrill whistle. Within seconds, a cab is pulled over and waiting. I open the backseat door, turning around and see them still standing back where they were. “Well come on then, we haven’t got all day!”

Reluctantly, they join me: Luke in the passenger seat, Jessica in back with me. Jessica gives the driver an address, and we take a silent and tense ride to her destination.

Luke and I simply follow as she leads us to a questionable motel room. “It’s a long shot,” she offers, “but this is where I found Albert last time.” Despite not having a key, she twists the doorknob and the door opens with a cracking sound.

Luke follows her in and looks around. “Rough life hiding from a homicidal son.”

Jessica is already snooping through the items in the room. “I doubt Kilgrave let him come back for clean underwear.”

“Looking for something in particular?” I ask, hovering just inside the doorway. I felt awkward and out of the loop. These two were obviously close, and had freshly dealt with Kilgrave. I hadn’t had a run-in for almost a year now, and was still trying to figure out what kind of mess I’d been pulled into.

“Nope,” Jessica tosses papers aside. “We just keep looking til we find something.”

“What the hell are you doing in here?” A voice grabs all our attention to the doorway. A woman in her forties, carrying a cardboard box is standing there, looking cross. “You want a room, try the front desk. This ain’t an open house.”

“You rented this room to Alber Thompson,” Jessica states matter of fact.

“He’s gone,” the motel woman adds.

Jessica motions to the stuff around us. “We’re just here to pick up his stuff.”

The woman takes a few steps into the room. “He stiffed me on the bill, you gonna pick that up too?”

Luke responds in kind, getting real close. “We’ll just get what we need and be on our way.”

The woman isn’t intimidated. “It don’t belong to you. I sold it all. Lab equipment’s very popular on ebay. Lots of thrifty meth cooks out there.” 

“How much?”

“Scuse me?” she turns her angry gaze on me.

“How much was his bill?”

“About $500 after I sold some of his shit.”

Pulling out my wallet, I look through and realize all I have on me are pounds. “Check or card?” 

She drops the box on the floor. “Check’s bounce. I can take a card at the front.”

I motion for her to lead the way, and she reluctantly turns to walk out of the room, not before sending a dirty look at Luke and Jessica. “Should buy you a few minutes,” I mutter to Luke as I follow the unhappy worker to the front desk.

“It’s too bad those chemicals he had don’t have any recreational use,” she complains as we walk down the bland motel hallway.

“Chemicals?”

“The shit in the corner. Weighs a ton. Let you have it for $50. There’s some expensive shit, nobody wants to buy it though.”

After paying the woman and promising we wouldn’t be much longer, I head back and direct Jessica to the bought and paid for boxes of chemicals. “Hope it’s worth something, I did pay for it.”

Jessica starts digging through. “Nah, just the basics: saline, boric acid, rubbing alcohol.” She reaches in further and pulls out a small box with a small test tube. “And something unpronounceable.”

Looking over her shoulder, I can just make it out, “It’s an adeno-associated viral compound, used for genetic brain disorders.” Jessica just stares at me with absolute confusion, like her brain didn’t understand the words she heard. “What? It’s not that uncommon in labs.”

“Aside from that, it’s from a local bio-chem lab.”

“Hmm, worth a look-see,” Luke adds. 

“Let’s just go before I have to buy anymore of this crap,” I say, motioning towards the door with my head.

Another silent and tense cab ride and we arrive at Zalk, the bio-chem lab in question. “I’ll go in, you two stay a safe distance away.”

“What, no!” I scoff.

“I’m the only one we’re sure Kilgrave can’t control. If he’s in there, he can’t get me. Just stay on that roof and wait, I’ll be right back.”

I open my mouth to protest, but Luke puts a hand on my shoulder. “It’s no use arguing. Let’s just wait up there.”

Begrudgingly, I follow the dark-skinned man into the neighboring building and up the stairs to the roof. “So how do you know Jessica?” He asks, looking me over carefully.

“Few weeks ago I went to her and Jeri Hogarth to offer my help with Hope Schlottman’s case. I offered my help, should she need it. At the time, she refused. I wish I could have persuaded her to let me help then. Hope could still be alive.”

Luke signs, his attention going to the ground to see Jessica drag an unwilling lab worker out the door and thrown against a chain-link fence. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. No one knows what could have happened if we’d acted differently in the past.”

Jessica turns to look at us on the roof, the lab worker having run back inside. A few minutes later, she joins us with a sigh. 

“He was here?” I ask, sensing her frustration.

“Twice. Cleaned them out of that AAV1 shit. He’s coming back for more.”

Luke looks strangely disappointed. “Is that why that guy was in such a hurry to get back to work?”

Jessica’s eyes stray back towards the lab. “When Kilgrave tells you to work nonstop, you literally work nonstop. Place smelled like piss and shit. Couple of them had fainted.”

“Shit,” Luke curses.

“Can’t we do anything to help them?” I try.

Jessica frowns. “Not unless that ability you mentioned before can break them out of his control.” Her eyes narrow at me, Luke’s pissed off expression turning my way. “What can you do, exactly?”

“I’m surprised you remember that, seeing as you couldn’t remember my name and all.” My hands find their way into my pockets, casually leaning back against the railing. “Looks like I’m not the only one though, am I?”

We all stand there in tense silence, staring each other down. I roll my eyes, realizing their both too stubborn to speak first. “Look, we don’t have time for this. If we keep fighting amongst ourselves, Kilgrave wins. Now either we can work together to find him, or we can keep measuring dicks, but it’s my job to protect this world and I’m not about to let you stop me.” Turning on my heel, I march down the stairs back to the ground, determined to do something to help those poor lab workers. 

_ “I don’t know how to help them,” _ I desperately reach for the part of my mind where Bad Wolf remains, the bit of the Time Vortex living inside my head.  _ “I know we’re not really talking right now, but help me make this right, please!” _

I wait, staring at the door to the lab, hoping for some kind of answer. Finally, I’m about to give up when,  _ “You cannot control their minds, Arkytior,”  _ the familiar voice of the Time Vortex whispers in my mind.  _ “But you can put them at ease, let time take away their control.” _

An idea hits me then: I can’t undo it, but what if I make time freeze for them? If their minds are frozen in time, time can continue around them, letting the compulsion wear off without hurting them further. I can see the familiar golden glow of Bad Wolf emanating from my eyes in the glass door’s reflecting, the whole building lighting up as I step inside, letting the power of Bad Wolf wash through me.

It’s a long, tedious process; going from one person to another, freezing time inside their minds for a few hours, and giving them peace. Ironically enough, I lose track of time how long it takes to get to them all, the power returning to the back of my mind like the snap of a rubber band almost as soon as I finish with the last one. I’m out of breath, my muscles sore and my head pounding as I trudge out of the building and back up onto the rooftop to rejoin Luke and Jessica.

They’re sitting together, leaning against the railing from a point they can still see the lab. “What did you do?” Jessica asks, brows closing together.

I collapse a foot away from her. “I helped them.” Both sets of eyes stare at me in bewilderment, the unspoken question of “how?” lingering in the air. “I can’t free them, but I can put them at ease until the control wears off.”

Jessica sighs, leaning her head against Luke’s shoulder. “All we can do now is wait.”

  
  


A kick in the foot wakes me up, my muscles screaming from the position I’m in. “What?” I demand, annoyance flaring for the rude awakening.

“Someone’s coming,” Luke says, pointing down to a cab stopped in front of the lab. We all three jump up at the sound of a car door closing, watching a man in a dark suit emerge.

“Damnit, that's not Kilgrave,” Jessica sighs. 

“No one’s been in or out all day,” Luke points out.

“Then we follow this guy. Good chance he’s our courier.” Without speaking further, Jessica’s heading down towards the ground level. 

I flag down a nearby cab, all three of us piling in quickly. “Follow that cab, please,” I order the driver, who doesn’t even question it as we follow the courier through town to Central Park.

We exit our own cab, watching him walk into the park. “Kilgrave could be in there,” Jessica starts, and I already know where she’s going with this.

“We’ll stay here, don’t worry,” I sigh.   
Luke is more supportive. “Do what you gotta do.”

Not wanting to just stand here on the sidewalk awkwardly, I take a seat on a nearby bench, watching the families and park goers go about their business. After a few minutes, Luke joins me, his large frame taking up the rest of the bench. “So what’s your beef with Kilgrave?”

“Beef?” I ask, not sure of his meaning. He seems like a well meaning bloke, but there’s just something slightly off about him I can’t quite put my finger on. 

“What he do to you? Why are you here?”

I’m taken aback. “It’s not so much what he did to me, it’s who he is and what he’s done to others.”

Luke’s phone rings suddenly, making me jump. “Sorry, gotta take this,” he says, abruptly standing up and walking away.

_ Strange, _ I think to myself as I watch him tense when he brings the phone to his ear. “Bad news?” I ask, my tone light as he walks back and resumes his seat next to me.

“No, why?” His voice is suddenly cautious, his eyes suspicious.

I shake my head. “No reason, you just looked kinda tense.”

Jessica stalks back towards us, stopping any further conversation. She raises her hand to hail a cab as she nears us, stopping only to say, “Courier’s dead,” before climbing into the back seat and barking her address to the driver. Luke and I share a look, my only response a shrug as I take the seat beside her.

No one speaks a word until we’re in the elevator of her building, ascending to her apartment. Luke’s the first to break the silence this time. “Kilgrave still needs the chemicals. Means his dad hasn’t cracked the upgrade yet.”

Jessica’s already tense and aggravated demeanor snaps. “Well, it’s a matter of time before he does, and that’s when the real shit show starts. He’ll be able to control people through buildings, walls, the radio. ‘Hey New York, go to the highest building and jump!’”

Luke turns and grips her arms. “Hey, hey, hey, hey, it’s gonna be okay.” I watch closely as he gently caresses the side of her face with his hand. The elevator dings open, breaking their moment and I happily step out of the small space, only to have a blond woman stare at me from Jessica’s apartment.

“Hey,” Jessica calls out to her, taking the lead down the hallway. “What are you doing here? You should be in bed.”

“I’m fine,” the blond lies, “I was...I was just checking in on your search.”

“Well, we’re screwed and out of leads. Are you sure that’s all?” Jessica eyes the knapsack slung over the woman’s shoulder. 

“We?” the woman casts a friendly yet questioning look at Luke and I.

“I’m helping her take Kilgrave out,” Luke adds without hesitation.

The blonde’s eyes stay on me. “She usually refuses help.”

I smile a wolf’s smile. “I’m uniquely qualified.”

The woman smiles back, holding her hand out. “Uh, Trish Walker.”

“Rose Tyler,” I shake her hand firmly, noting the firm grip I receive in return.

“Luke Cage,” Luke says as she extends a hand towards him as well.

“Jess didn’t, uh, mention either of you to me -” Trish says, motioning to us both.

Jessica rolls her eyes. “They’re friends.”

Trish’s eyebrows raise in question. “Who knows about Kilgrave?”

Luke lets out a sigh. “I found out the hard way.” He and Jessica share a knowing look.

“Can you guys give us a sec?” Jessica asks.

“Of course,” I say, motioning Luke to follow me into the small broken apart living space. “You know where the loo is?” 

“Yeah, just around the corner,” he points down the nearest hallway and I follow his directions. 

I take a moment, splashing water on my face and leaning against the sink. My head still throbbed, but the aches in my muscles have mostly gone away. When I’m finally ready, I open the creaky door and head back out to her office/living room. The whole apartment’s a disaster zone: debris on the floor, large holes breaking through the walls, shattered glass in areas.  _ What the hell happened here? _ I wonder.

Luke passes me when I reach the living room, heading towards the bathroom. There’s an ugly orange couch pushed up against another broken wall; it looks stable enough. Sighing, I plop down, leaning my head back and closing my eyes.

“You’re probably tired, feel free to take the bed if you want,” Jessica offers from behind a desk in the center of the room.

“Don’t think I could move if I wanted to,” I joke, letting out a slight chuckle.

Silence follows, and I’m almost to the sweet embrace of sleep when I hear her quietly ask, “Why are you here? Why help me?”

“Why shouldn’t I?” I open my eyes and lean my head forward enough to look at her. She looks broken down and tired, struggling under the weight of her own guilt. “I should’ve done more to stop him when I could, before he hurt anyone else. I’m sorry, Jessica, I’m so sorry for whatever he did to you, for whatever he forced you to do.”

She doesn’t say anything further, but some tension seems to have lifted off her shoulders, as if I had taken some of the guilt off she had been burdened with for so long. Closing my eyes again, I let her resume her searching as I try to reach some semblance of sleep for a few more moments.

It’s much shorter than I’d hoped. “Rose, wake up,” Jessica nudges my shoulder to wake me. “Think I found him.”

Blinking to adjust to the light, I ask, “Where?”

“Nightclub called Delaney Hall. Looks like he’s using it as his testing grounds.”

Pushing myself up and off the couch, I roll my neck and straighten my jacket. “Right then, shall we?”

It’s dark by the time we reach the nightclub. And unusually quiet for a nightclub. “Closed,” Jessica points out the chains holding the entrance shut, looking the building up and down. “Breaking and entering, my specialty.”

“As well as punching, kickin’, drinkin’, and talkin’ shit -” Luke mutters behind us.

“The four essentials of being a P.I.” Jessica retorts.

Colored lights start shining through the windows. “Not closed, then,” I point out. “Come back later?”

Jessica turns and walks towards a backdoor entrance. “I’ve got other specialties.” We follow her inside the dimly lit nightclub, all the lights on for business but not a sound to be heard. Reaching the main dance floor, an older voice calls down to us, “Hey! We’re closed. Get out of here.”

Jessica pulls out her wallet and flashes her I.D. “New York State Liquor Authority. Undercover. We got reports of underage drinking in here.”

_ Oh, I like her, _ I think, trying to suppress a smile. 

“We I.D. everyone at the door,” the voice tries to dismiss us.  
“Oh?” Jessica questions further, “including those underage high school girls doing shots of Jager in the front row last night?”

I can just make out a dark silhouette standing on the balcony above us. “Well, you got bad info.”

“Then you don’t have anything to hide then, do you?” I ask, in my best American accent.

“We need to see a video of the show,” Luke adds.

“You want a raid, you got it,” Jessica threatens, pulling out her phone.

“All right, my office is up the back staircase,” the silhouette waves nonchalantly towards the corner of the room. I look pointedly at them both before following his directions and walking into his office. “Oh, you know, these days, the 20-somethings, they look 30.” The middle-aged nightclub manager waves us in, walking over to a desk and pulling out an envelope of cash. “And the 10 year olds look twenty.”

“Why you looking at ten year olds, man?” Luke asks softly.

“It’s just a saying,” the manager tries to say.

“No, it’s really not,” Jessica counters, counting the money from the envelope and sticking it in her jacket pocket.

“What, don’t tell me the prices are going up?” The manager whines.

“No, we’re good,” Jessica cheers up somewhat. “Still gotta see the video.”

Hesitantly, and with a loud sigh, he leads us back to his desk and the video monitors there, pulling up the recording files. “What the hell is this?” He mutters, finding only an empty folder wherever he clicks.

“No video,” Jessica states.

The manager points at the blank folder, “Even the audio files are gone.”

“It’s been erased,” Jessica looks at Luke with worry.

“Not by me. All the cameras are still working,” the manager tries to defend, pointing to a live feed showing a thin man in a suit taking center stage.

For a moment, I’m frozen, seeing what looks like the Doctor I watched regenerate in front me, but knowing it’s this universe’s twisted lookalike. Even his voice is still painfully the same as he checks the mic, sounding all too pleased with himself, “Check, one, two, one, two. Can you hear me at the back?”

“Oh hell,” the manager stammers, “this guy again?”

Jessica dashes to the office window, worry covering her face as she confirms what we all know. She turns to Luke first. “Get as far away as you can.”

Luke grabs the manager’s arm and pulls him away with him. “You heard her, let’s go!”

Jessica paces back and forth for a moment after they leave. “You’re not sending me away this time?” I ask, hoping she won’t change her mind and tell me to leave as well.

She looks at me intently. “Whatever it is you can do to resist him, use it. Keep your distance and stay in the shadows. I don’t want him to know you’re here.”

I nod in agreement, following her out of the office. She continues to walk across the balcony, drawing his attention; I go down the stairs to the main level, staying back and hidden in the shadows like she asked.

With a thud, she jumps down off the balcony and lands on the wooden dance floor, completely unscathed. All of Kilgrave’s attention is directed at her. “So? You found my testing arena? All by yourself?”

Jessica stalks towards the stage. “Just followed the trail of misery.”

His attention never wavers. “Oh, that’s a good band name. Now for the real test.” His voice grows, like he’s working harder to say these words, “Stop there, Jessica Jones.”

Jessica and I both immediately look to her feet; she slows for a moment, but never stops.

“God damn it!” Kilgrave curses. His breathing picks up, amplified by the microphone, and his tone softens. “I want you to know, I forgive you for everything. I’ll say it every day for as long as you need to hear it.” He’s faking a sob at this point and I roll my eyes in disgust.

Jessica stops just short of the stage. “You heard that?”

A sudden smile takes over his face, making me cringe. “I wrote it! Surprise!”

Out of nowhere, Luke runs in, knocking Jessica back across the dance floor, rolling to a stop not far from me. I make a move to help her, but the look she gives me tells me to stay put. With a groan, she turns back towards Kilgrave and Luke.

“Mr. Cage had been ordered to ring me about your exploits since before he blew up his seedy little bar. Uh, the twelve hour window at that point was actually sixteen hours. Now it’s twenty-four, and a hundred yards. I only keep getting stronger. Not yet strong enough to control you, but what about you, Rose Tyler?” 

Jessica’s eyes widen as she looks back at me. 

“Ah yes, Cage here also told me how Jessica called in a random blonde from across the pond, although I wasn’t sure at first I had hoped it would be you.”

Seeing it pointless to continue hiding, I step out next to Jessica. “Sorry to see you again so soon.”

Kilgrave smiles at me. “Hello, Rose.” A cold shiver runs down my spine as he speaks my name. “Mr. Cage tells me you were quite drained after foiling my plans at the lab. As I recall, last time I found you, you were more easily persuaded; let’s see how you fare with my upgrade? Hmm?”

“Rose, run!” Jessica shouts, shoving me away and making a run at Kilgrave. Luke blocks her path, blocking almost every blow she aims at him.

“Rose Tyler, stop!” Kilgrave’s voice echoes around the room, his words invading my mind like a virus. My whole body tenses, still able to move, but barely. The effort it takes just to look over to see his smug face makes me want to give in. Sobering for a moment, he looks down at Jessica, thrown across the room again. “I tried so hard to avoid this, Jessica. This is not what I wanted. But you failed the test. Kill her,” he directs Luke, who begins stomping towards her.

With Jessica fighting off Luke, Kilgrave had no one to stop him as he saunters over to where I’m leaning against a beam for support. “You got away from me before we could really get acquainted. I won’t let it happen this time,” he whispers menacingly in my ear, wrapping an arm possessively around my waist. “Come with me,” he orders, and I’m too weak to do otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took forever to update this, so you all deserved a long chapter. Let me know what you think of the difference in ending.


	6. AKA Smile

“Little wolf? Little wolf?” A smooth velvety voice sing-songs at me through the darkness. “Rose,” the deep voice says, much closer this time.

Opening my eyes, I’m back in the penthouse of Stark Tower during the Battle of New York, the sounds of gunfire and fighting echoing through the city. Kneeling in front of me, one cold hand cupping my cheek, is the last person I expected to see. “Loki?” I croak, my voice hoarse.

“Hello, darling,” he smiles, brushing a stray hair behind my ear. 

“How are we...how is this...ah!” A sharp shooting pain erupts through my abdomen as I try to sit up and look around. Glancing down, I’m covered in blood, my shirt ripped and revealing the large jagged wound that has haunted me since this day.

“Shh, try not to move.”

“How is this possible?”

“Your body and mind are in great distress, you called out to me for help. This memory was the only way I could reach you.”

I let out a painful groan. “Is that why it hurts so much? Am I dying?”

He chuckles softly.“No, not dying. Your mind is reverting back to a similar time of pain it seems.” His smile fades and he looks at me with a grave seriousness. “You’re supposed to be safe, back with your beloved Doctor.”

“Didn’t stick,” I grunt. Using what strength I have, I pull my hand back and slap him hard across the face. “How could you do that to me! After everything…”

He tenderly rubs the side of his face, grinning broadly. “Oh, how I’ve missed you, little wolf.”

“No,” I shake a pointed finger at him. “You do not get to call me that. You do not get to make decisions for me. You left me on that beach, when you knew what it would do to me! Ahh!” I scream in pain, both emotionally and physically. 

“What’s happening right now, Rose? There’s a reason you’re reliving this pain; there’s a reason you called out to me.”

“Kilgrave,” I breathe out. “He...he took me from the club. I was too drained after freezing that whole lab in time, I...I couldn’t fight it.”

He’s leaning over me, eyes narrowed in anger, his face inches away from mine. “You’ve met this cretin before?”

“Twice: once right after the battle, and again while testing the Dimension Cannon. Right before I called for you.”

In anger, he rises to his feet, towering over me. “How could you not tell me? I would have dispatched him of his head!”

“You do not get to be angry with me, mister! I am not your problem anymore, you made that abundantly clear!” I shout, wincing in regret right after. My voice lowers to almost a whisper. “Just leave me alone, I don’t want your help.”

“Clearly your subconscious believes otherwise, or I wouldn’t be here.” His demeanor softens, slowly lowering back down to kneel in front of me. “You’re in danger, Rose. You need to wake up.”

“But I’m so tired,” I practically sob. “I’m not strong enough to fight him, I don’t know why I thought I could. And it hurts to see him, to hear him. I just want it to stop.”

He gently wipes away an escaped tear. “So make it stop. You’re a goddess, Rose Tyler. You hunt down monsters invading your precious Earth and stop them. What’s one more.”

I close my eyes and lean into his touch, feeling the ghost of his lips against mine as the sounds of battle fade away into the darkness of my mind.

A whiney, albeit familiar voice breaks through, the sounds of a city thriving in the background. Even though my eyes open, it’s still black. My head still foggy from sleep, it takes a moment to realize there’s a black cloth bag covering my head. I make a move to take it off, only to find my hands tied behind the back of the chair I’m sitting in.

“I couldn’t stop her. And it’s your bloody fault, Dad!” Great, I’m still with Kilgrave.

“You’re more powerful than ever,” an older voice answers, this one British as well. _Guess Albert’s still alive then._ “You managed to control her.” I can only assume he points to me.

“I still haven’t tested to see if I can control her at full strength. What would happen if you gave me the lot? All of it?”

“A whole dram?” The older voice asks in disbelief. “I don’t know.”

“Well make an educated guess,” Kilgrave orders.

“40% chance it makes you stronger. 60% it kills you.” His father spits out.

“100% chance you’d still be a pillock,” I chime in. 

“Finally, sleeping beauty’s awake!” Kilgrave exclaims. I can hear footsteps approaching, stopping in front of me before the bag is ripped off my head. The sudden amount of light is blinding. “When I told you to feel sorry for leaving me all those months ago, I didn’t realize you’d almost kill yourself from guilt! Astonishing!”

“Why am I here, Kilgrave?”

He runs the back of his knuckles over my cheeks, and I turn my head away in disgust. “What about you, Dad?” He turns his head suddenly back towards his poor father, “Which option do you want?”

“I want it to kill you,” Albert says softly, anger burning in his eyes towards his son.

Kilgrave just looks amused. “Hmm. His own son, imagine.” He takes a step back, his gaze intensifying as he stares at me. “Give me everything you’ve got,” he orders. Without warning, he grabs me by the arm and pulls me up and out of the chair and onto the balcony adjacent to the kitchen of the apartment he’s taken over. We only make it halfway out and I’m roughly pushed onto covered patio furniture. “Maybe I’ll get strong enough to control you at your best. Maybe I’ll get strong enough to control her again.” He turns and leans against the railing, hands clenching and unclenching. “Dear God, I would do anything to see the look on her face when she realizes she’s helpless. I’d make her want me. Then reject her. Devastate her over and over and over until she wants to die. But no, I won’t give her that either. She’d wither away like someone dying of thirst or starvation; a certain ring of hell, designed specially for her. Or maybe I’ll just kill her.”

“All this because she doesn’t want to be with you?” I call out, trying to take his attention away from Albert and the poor couple who’s home he’d invaded. “She’s right, you are an evil prick!”

He stands in front of me now, shaking with anger. “It’s because of you, you know,” he exhales, an evil smirk beginning to form. “She’s special, just like us. All that power hidden inside her, and she was mine. After you left me, I realized any normal person would never be good enough. I found her a few weeks later, beating up some street thugs.” Squatting down, he grips my chin and forces me to look at him. “If you’d stayed that night, I probably would have never found Jessica. She’s in this because of you.”

Despite knowing that he’s just trying to mess with my head, I can’t help but believe he has a point. With a full smile, he roughly releases me and walks back into the kitchen. “Shall we, Albert? Let the experiment begin.”

Kilgrave takes a seat at the table, leaning over and gripping both sides tightly. “This could sting a bit,” Albert warns, hovering over his neck with the syringe.

“It doesn’t sting, Dad, it burns like a poxy branding iron,” Kilgrave bites back. From where I’m sitting, I can’t see what’s happening, all I can hear is Kilgrave’s groans and deep breaths, followed by screams of pain.

Fresh memories of the Doctor regenerating in pain flash before me. “Stop it, stop it!” I cry, struggling to stand and make my way over to him. “Kilgrave?”

He stays hunched over the table for a few moments, the veins in his neck bulging and purple. Finally, he opens his eyes, looking directly at mine. “Sorry, Dad, guess you don’t get your way this time.” Standing, he towers over me, his eyes the only thing noticeably different from the Doctor. “Let’s test it out, shall we? Rose Tyler, sit down.” 

The force of his words hit me like a tidal wave, and I almost fall back from the force of it. Gritting my teeth, I bite out, “No.”

He laughs. “You truly are amazing. I guess I’ll have to simply wear you down.” An evil smirk appears again, and he looks over at his father and the two men who live here. “Boys, remove dad from the face of the Earth. Then kill yourselves.”

“No!” I shout, jumping into action and running my shoulder into the stomach of the closest one, knocking him onto the ground. Straddling him, using my legs to try and hold down his arms, I reach out to Bad Wolf, to try and freeze him like his other victims. “Come on, come on!” I grunt, willing, pleading for the power to consume me. As if hearing my pleas, Bad Wolf encompasses my system, and I reach through the Vortex for this man’s time stream. It’s harder this time, the compulsion fresh and new, and I’d have to freeze him for longer. But finally, he stops struggling beneath me, his body going limp. Looking around, his husband had somehow found an axe, swinging it wildly at a defenseless Albert. It looked like he’d already landed one blow: Albert was limping and holding his thigh. With ease, I snap the zip-ties restraining my hand, and rip the axe away from the man. Reaching out, I place my hands on either side of his head, freezing his mind in time. As soon as it’s done, Bad Wolf retreats. I release the man and watch as he collapses in front of me. 

There’s a slow clapping sound behind me. “Brilliant, that was. I think you might actually be my equal, Rose Tyler. Someone who can challenge me on a whole new level. Breathtaking.” 

Albert collapses to the floor, blood pooling under him. I move towards him, but Kilgrave grabs my arm and says, “Stop. Leave him.” My muscles strain against his command, but he’s right: I can’t fully fight back if I’m worn down.

“But he’ll die,” I try to reason, my face pained.

He pulls me into a hug and kisses my forehead. “He was going to die anyway,” he whispers menacingly. “You’ve just made it slightly less painful for him.”

“What are you going to do with me?” 

He cups my face with his hand. “Whatever I want.” 

I shudder, my mind traitorously thinking of all the things he could make me do.

“We’re going out of the country for a bit,” he says, looking at a picture of the two homeowners in front of a yacht. “But first, we have to get Jessica out of the way.”

He drags me down to the docks, to the yacht from the picture, enslaving more and more people as we go. By nightfall, he’s ordered the entire population around the dock and the surrounding building to either work on getting the yacht ready or to be a bodyguard if Jessica shows up. Even the large building before the dock, the _Maritime Manhattan_ has been emptied of people and the security team enslaved. As for me, I’m sitting on the dock by the yacht, ordered to stay put. As if knowing the compulsion wouldn’t be enough forever, there’s a bodyguard armed with a gun standing over me, ordered to shoot if I try to escape.

Kilgrave is currently pacing back and forth in front of me, continuously checking his watch.

“Maybe she’s not coming, ever think of that?” I chime in, hoping to push his buttons. “I’m just an acquaintance, why would she come for me?”

“Jessica thinks herself a hero,” he growls, continuing to pace. “She’ll come, if only to try and kill me.”

“She can’t,” I add quietly after another few minutes of watching him pace. 

He freezes in place and looks down at me in bewilderment. “What?”

“She can’t kill you. I won’t let her.” I say again, louder.

“I’m quite touched that you’ve come to care for me so dearly, but I’m not convinced you could stop her.”

I scoff at his comment. “She’s not a killer. If she kills you, it will haunt her forever.”

He laughs. “She’s killed once before.” At my quizzical look, he continues. “Didn’t she tell you? She murdered Mr. Cage’s wife in the street. Then left me to die under a bus. Believe me, she has no issue with killing.”

I shake my head. “That where you’re wrong. At her core, she's still good. That’s why I can’t let her kill you.”

He smirks and kneels down to me. “Oh? And just how do you plan on stopping her?”

I smirk back, pushing a flash of gold over my eyes. “I have my ways.”

His expression quickly sobers, and he stands. “Remember, shoot her if she tries to get away,” he orders my guard again before hightailing it into the boat station.

There’s about thirty unwilling victims stationed between the yacht and the boat station exit, all awaiting his next command. For now, all I can do is sit here and wait. 

I’m not left waiting long, the sound of a fire alarm and gunfire filling the air. Kilgrave rounds the corner and takes his place, reaching down and yanking me to my feet towards the boat. I’m distracted by the sound of running footsteps, looking back to see Jessica coming towards the crowd.

“Unbelievable,” Kilgrave breaths. “Ready the yacht!” He orders, positioning himself towards Jessica. Addressing the crowd, he calls out, “Start killing each other, now!”

It’s chaos, the victims going at one another with fists or pipes or whatever they can find. Jessica joins the fray, trying to pull those she can apart as she makes her way towards Kilgrave. She’s close, and he realizes it too. Letting go of my arm, he braces himself and screams out, “STOP!” Purple veins bulge from his neck and forehead.

Everything around us freezes. Even Jessica, her eyes wide in fear and shock. 

“Don’t insult my intelligence. You’re faking, aren’t you?”

“Faking what?” She answers quickly, her voice betraying her pain.

“Obviously, you have a plan. Otherwise, you’d have jumped over them all and I’d be dead, so...do share.”

Jessica shakes her head slightly, as if trying not to answer. “I wanted you to make them stop.”

Kilgrave scoffs. “Bollocks, killing me would accomplish that, wouldn’t it?”

Her response needs no prompting. “You’ve never died before.”

“Always a sodding hero, aren’t you?”

“No,” she replies, looking close to tears.

Kilgrave just chuckles. “Clever girl. Clever, clever girl. Pretending to give me what I want. I’d hoped for it,” he sighs, still looking at Jessica with awe. “God, it is so tempting…to buy into this act.” 

Looking over at her, seeing the fear in her eyes, I realize she isn’t acting. He actually did it, he got control of her again. _I won’t let him hurt her again, not when I can stop it_ , I promise myself. 

“Come here, Rose,” he orders, my feet bringing me to him against my will. Kilgrave pulls me forward and into his chest. “You brought Rose here, involved her in all this,” he begins running his hands over me: up my arms, down my chest and sides. “You’re responsible for her fate now, for her coming back to me.” His hand dips around and grabs my ass, thrusting me against him. “From your perspective, I’ll be raping her every day. My skin will be touching hers.” He runs his free hand across my face repeatedly caressing it. “She’ll be my plaything. She’ll be my slave.” Turning to look at Jessica, he asks, “And in her mind, she’ll be dying, isn’t that right?”

Jessica is still frozen to the spot. “Yes,” she whispers, looking at me in anguish, tears in her eyes. 

He continues staring at Jessica, before his face begins to light up with realization. “Oh, God, it’s true, isn’t it? You really aren’t acting! My God, it’s finally over. You’re mine now,” he breathes out in relief. 

I look at Jessica, I see the fear and the pain and the helplessness of her choice being taken away from her again. _No more_ , I decide. Reaching out, I cup his face and bring Kilgrave’s attention back to me. “Kilgrave,” I whisper deeply, standing on tiptoes to press my lips to his with enough force and faked passion to distract him. In that moment, with the close connection, I reach for the Time Vortex, pulling it to me and searching for his timeline. It’s faint, but visible, twisted and purple and creating a fork of pathways from this moment. But this point is not fixed. I can save Jessica and her soul. 

Tendrils of light wisp around us, emanating from my body that is still pressed to his, his tongue still trying to dominate mine. I reach for that same portion of his time as I had with all the others, except this would not be a temporary fix. Pulling away, I can see the wonder and startle reflected on his face as he looks down on me, the same look I’d seen the Doctor give me so many times. In that moment, I don’t see Kilgrave, I see him: the first man I ever loved. I wouldn’t kill him, but I couldn’t let him continue living like this either.

A tear rolls down my cheek as I pour the power of the Vortex into his mind, his eyes rolling back into his head, his expression going blank. “Goodbye,” I whisper, blinking away the remaining tears. 

Jessica slowly walks up next to me, his power over her long gone. “Is he dead?”

“No,” I answer, my voice hollow as I look down at the empty man lying on the ground. 

“What did you do?”

“Froze time in his mind, forever. He’ll live out the rest of his days like this, trapped inside his own mind, while his body withers away, out of his control.”

I can hear her gulp loudly beside me. “I didn’t know you could do that.”

“He would’ve done worse to you, if he’d gotten away with you,” I add, remembering his plan for revenge he spouted on that balcony. “And I couldn’t let him make that choice for you, and I couldn’t let you kill him.”

I stiffen as she wraps her arms around me and pulls me into a hug. “Thank you,” she breathes, tucking her head into my shoulder. My brain finally catches up with the importance of this moment, and I return the hug. “What do we do with him now?” she asks, pulling away.

“Shady Acres Care Home,” I reply, “I passed it on my way to your place when I got here yesterday. Looked good enough to be able to take him now.”

For the first time, I hear Jessica laugh. Not the sarcastic laugh from before, but an actual joyful laugh. “I can’t believe I’m finally free,” she whispers.

Turning to look around, I see all his victims trying to figure out what happened. In the distance, I can hear sirens approaching. “Come on, we should get out of here. I’d rather not end up on the front page tomorrow.” Grabbing her hand, we step over the drooling body of Kilgrave and escape down the dock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't help it, I had to post the conclusion to the Kilgrave storyline.  
> I'm currenly waiting on a test result from my covid test, so I have a lot of time on my hands. Hopefully will be posting a chapter or so for the next several days.


	7. Back to Work

I’m sitting on a windowsill in Jessica’s destroyed apartment, watching the first rays of dawn light up the city beyond her window. I should feel relief, finally free of the burden Kilgrave and his actions had been weighing on my shoulders. But all I feel is numb.

“Is this how you felt after the incident?” Jessica asks, plopping down in her desk chair and sipping a brown liquid. I hope it’s coffee, but judging from all the empty liquor bottles littering her office, it’s most likely whiskey.

“What do you mean?” I ask nonchalantly, only slightly disturbed she’d put together who I was. She was pretty brilliant.

She chuckles. “Come on, you’re obviously the glowing chic that fought with the flag waver and the big green guy.”

“Guess the show at the dock kinda gave it away, didn’t it?” I let out a slight chuckle as well. “Not really the same feeling. After the battle, I was relieved: relieved to be alive, relieved we won. Now, I just feel...almost guilt.”

“What!” She exclaims, scooting her chair closer. “You can’t possibly feel guilty for stopping that monster.”

“No, not for that. For not doing it sooner.” I turn to face her, pinching the bridge of my nose to help calm the headache that was steadily growing. “When he took me, after the club, he told me something. That if I hadn’t left him that second time...if I’d stayed and given him what he wanted...maybe you never would have met him.” My gaze drops to my lap.

Jessica takes a deep breath. “Bull-shit. He’s just messing with your head. It’s what he did best, trust me.” She holds her drink out to me. Shrugging, I accept and take a drink, coughing almost immediately after I swallow a sip.

“The hell is that?” I sputter.

She laughs again. “Can’t handle whiskey? Meh, it’s not for everyone,” she takes the drink back and knocks the rest of it back.

The sun’s almost fully risen now. My head is still throbbing, my body exhausted, but it was worth staying awake to watch.

“What ever happened to Luke?” I ask, suddenly remembering the man Kilgrave had commanded to kill Jessica. 

Her face falls. “He was here, unconscious and healing. Guess he decided to move on. Don’t blame him.” She reaches down into a drawer and pulls out another bottle of whiskey.

I yawn, slowly stretching my tired and aching muscles. “Mind if I crash here for a bit? Not sure I’d make it anywhere else.”

She motions to the couch, pouring herself another glass. “Begrudgingly, I guess I owe you one. My couch is always open for you,” she promises, taking another long drink.

I practically collapse on her couch, sleep overtaking me within seconds.

For once, it’s a peaceful and dreamless sleep. Guess the universe probably owed me that much.

“You’re welcome at Avengers tower anytime you know,” I offer, shrugging on my jacket, much, much later. 

Jessica shakes her head. “Thanks, but no thanks. I don’t do the superhero thing anymore. Besides, I don’t think I fit the goody-two-shoes model like you.”

My eyes roll. I could only imagine her butting heads with Tony or Steve. “If anything, I’m always just a call away if you need me.”

“Yeah, yeah, alright barbie. You better get going, you’ll miss your flight.”

I pull her into a quick hug. “Thank you, Jessica. I’m glad we met, even if it was under such shit circumstances.”

She pulls herself away from my hold. “I’m not really the hugging type.”

I smirk. “No more hugs then. Don’t into too much trouble now, or at least invite me back if you do,” I add, walking out her shattered door and down the dilapidated hallway. Pulling out my phone, I dial Pete’s number. “Hey Pete, wrapped up my business here, the jet ready to go home?”

I never thought I’d miss the cloudy London skies or the overall wet atmosphere, but after being away for so long, it’s almost a welcome sight. “Welcome home, sweetie,” Pete greets me as I exit the jet.

“Glad to be home,” I say honestly. “Ready to get back to a bit of normalcy, me.”

“What?” Pete scoffs. “Rose Tyler wants to settle down and go to a regular domestic job like the rest of us?”

I playfully bump my shoulder into his. “You know what I mean. Back to my lab, back to working on my new toy, back to some semblance of sleep.” Despite sleeping on the plane ride home, a yawn escapes me.

“You do look a bit knackered,” my step-father points out.

“It was a long couple days,” is all I offer, refusing to go any deeper on the subject.

“Doctor Campbell will be glad you’re back. He’s been complaining about your habit of dashing off to anyone he respectfully can: so basically just me,” he chuckles.

“He just wants me to be the one to look into the anomaly he’s been tracking. Since I’m the head of the department, he can’t go any deeper without me,” I chuckle.

  
  


With a flash of light, almost like lightning, I pop into existence. The Space Hopper was a bit less tolling than the Dimension Cannon, no longer draining me with every jump and no longer needing hours to recharge. With only a few presses of a button, I could pop anywhere on Earth; and if I get the coordinates fully adjusted, anywhere in the universe.

Doctor Campbell smiles at me, clearly pleased with the latest field test. “Correct me if I’m mistaken, but I do believe the ‘Space Hopper’ is mission ready, despite only a month of field testing. Also, are you quite sold on the name? I was thinking ‘Matter Mover’ has a rather nice ring to it?”

I can’t help but grimace at his name suggestion. “Sorry, but I’m rather sold on Space Hopper.”

“Right then,” he nods his head. “I suppose it is your project after all.” Stepping away, he begins directing a couple other scientists on something, leaving me alone in the center of the room.

Looking down at the Space Hopper, I can’t help but admire it. I’d found the green leather cuff Loki had given me after the battle among Mickey’s stuff when I packed up his place. It seemed fitting to use it as the base to attach the mechanical parts. It was about the same size as I remember seeing Captain Jack Harkness wearing back on Prime Earth. Sighing, I think back to the suave and charming captain of the innuendo squad. With any luck, there wasn’t a Time Agency in this dimension that would come after me for developing technology way before its time. 

Doctor Campbell walks back up to me, carrying a tablet and looking rather worried. “There’s been a development,” he begins, showing me the screen. On it was an ITV News report, a reporter standing in front of Stonehenge, civilians and multiple police in the background. He turns up the volume so I can hear it:

“I’m here in Stonehenge, where a strange and surprising event is happening today. The police were called to the scene shortly after eleven A.M. this morning after a seemingly harmless rambler approached the area…” The video cuts to previous footage of a completely nude Erik Selvig darting around Stonehenge away from police, all while carrying technical equipment. “...effectively decided to strip naked and terrorize tourists with scientific equipment, all while shouting that he was trying to save them. The man later identified as noted astrophysicist Dr. Erik Selvig has been called into questioning by police.”

Doctor Campbell ends the stream. “That was half an hour ago. Seems he believed the next anomaly would be occurring around Stonehenge. However, we believe there is an alternative location, with an anomaly already in place.” He swipes and pulls up a map, showing an industrial area just outside London. “There have been repeated reports just in the last twenty-four hours of gravitational events occurring in this area.” He lowers his voice and steps closer. “Might be a good opportunity to see the Space Hopper in action, eh?”

I smirk at the older scientist, remembering why I would always continue to keep him on my research teams. “I think you are correct, doctor.”

“Very well then! Men! As of right now, field tests are complete,” he calls out loudly. “We are officially in Stage 3.” Several scientists scurry around, taking new positions. Campbell takes a few steps back and solutes. “Good luck, General Tyler.”

Once I have entered the given coordinates, I give him a casual solute in return, bringing my hand down to connect with the Space Hopper and send me on my next adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short transition chapter today, but who knows, maybe you'll get another one in a few hours ;)


	8. Next Adventure

The Space Hopper might have been less draining on my body than the Dimension Canon had been, but the landings were about as unstable. Instead of being launched into a new place, though, it’s more like dropped out of nowhere with no way of knowing what you might land on. If I’m lucky, I’ll land on my feet. But I’m not very lucky.

I land flat on my stomach, barely reacting fast enough to cover my face with my hands. Grunting, I roll over and go through my mental checklist.  _ Two arms, check. Torso, check. Two legs, check. Head, check. _

As I check off each appendage, I stand up on rather shaky legs, taking in the view of what looked like an old shipping warehouse. I didn’t have long to look though, as I’m knocked back down moments later by the front of a car running into me. My head collides with something hard as I land on the ground, my ears ringing.

I can vaguely hear car doors open and voices shouting. It was all a bit of a jumble. “She came out of nowhere! I didn’t even see her! Intern, get the med kit!”

“What the hell? You hit someone?” A different voice asks.

“Maybe I would’ve seen her if you weren’t distracting me!” The original voice shouts back. 

As I open my eyes, I find another woman staring down at me. She’s a small woman, with long, straight brown hair, and soft brown eyes. “Oh my God, please be alive,” she whispers.

“ ‘M okay,” I moan. The woman next to me sighs in relief. Sadly enough, I was getting used to having daily headaches.

Two more people suddenly appear around me - one a woman with glasses in a red beanie over her dark brown hair and wearing an oversized scarf, the other a young man in his early twenties. “See, she’s totally fine. I barely touched her,” the woman in the beanie says with an American accent.

Finally coming to my senses, I sit up and look at all three of them again. “You lot American then? Please tell me you’re not with S.H.I.E.L.D.?” I ask, somewhat exasperated.

“Thankfully not, or I’d have changed continents for no reason,” the first woman replies. “I’m Jane, by the way. That’s Darcy,” she says, pointing to the woman in the beanie.

“I’m Ian, I’m Darcy’s intern,” the man adds in excitedly, like a puppy eager to please. His accent was local, albeit a bit more northern than my own.

“So maybe I haven’t completely mastered driving in London. But you’re good, right?” The one named Darcy asks me. I barely nod before she turns to Jane. “Right then, do you want the phase meter?”

“Phase meter?” I ask, suddenly intrigued by these Americans and their intern.

“It’s just sciency stuff we use, don’t worry about it. Do you need a phone to call somebody….or do you live here….” Darcy trails off, looking around for wherever I might live.

“No, no, I don’t live here. Just a little turned around is all. Enough about me though - if you’re using a phase meter you’re measuring electromotive forces.” Every one of them stares at me with wide eyes and open mouths. “Sorry, where are my manners. My name’s Rose, Rose Tyler. I run a lab studying astrophysics and spatial anomalies,” I lie somewhat, using one of Torchwood’s cover stories.

“Great, more sciency people,” Darcy says before tossing her keys to Ian. “Get the phase meter, it’s the toaster looking thing.”

“Yeah, I know what the phase meter is,” Ian mumbles as he starts digging out something from the back seat.

“Rose Tyler….I’ve heard that name before,” Jane says quietly. Her eyes have never left me, studying me closely for any signs of recognition.

“Yeah, probably on the telly,” Ian grunts as he pulls the phase meter out of the car. “She’s Pete Tyler’s daughter. You know, the creator of the Vitex health drink. You’re worth millions, you are,” he says to me.

Darcy pales as she gives me a shocked look. “You mean I hit a freaking celebrity with my car?”

“Oh, now she feels bad,” Jane mutters barely loud enough for me to hear.

I finally feel okay to stand up. “Look, I’m no celebrity. Just a girl who likes to travel and protect the Earth,” I smile at the younger woman, hoping to calm her down.

A look of recognition crosses Jane’s face. “Rose Tyler, why didn’t I realize it before!” Jane suddenly says. “You work with Torchwood, right? They’re the reason I came to England, I got an offer to work on a project studying an Einstein-Rosen bridge. But the project fell through, so I’ve just been following a lead on some anomalies around here instead.”

“Oh my gosh,” I exclaim. “ _ You’re _ Jane Foster! Pete told me he had reached out to you. Circumstances changed suddenly and our project progressed super fast all at once.” I couldn’t contain the laugh that bubbled out of my chest at the coincidence before me. “I can’t believe I’m actually meeting you!”

Jane opens her mouth to reply, but whatever she was about to say got interrupted by a sudden loud and obnoxious rap song coming from Jane’s cell phone. She pulls it out of her pocket and looks at it questioningly. “How do you change the ringtone on this thing?” She asks aloud to no one in particular, or at least as far as I can tell.

Darcy’s voice pops up behind us, apparently on the other end of the call. “An astrophysicist with three degrees should be able to change her own ringtone.”

Still talking on the phone, even though Darcy was only a few feet in front of us, Jane says, “Why are you calling me?”

“I didn’t want to shout, and the intern says it’s this way,” Darcy responds.

“Ian,” the intern says, following close behind her carrying the phase meter. “My name’s Ian.”

“What’s that way?” I ask Jane as she hangs up her phone and returns it to her pocket.

“To be honest, I’m not completely sure.”

A small smirk covers my face. “Well then, what are we waiting for?”

The shipyard and adjoining warehouse was completely deserted, and looked like it had been for some time. There were broken windows allowing the cold air to flow through, and mold and mildew growing on the walls and ceiling rafters. Our steps made soft echoes through the building as we slowly walked deeper inside. 

A sudden flock of birds fluttering out an old window makes Darcy and Ian jump. Listening closely, we can hear footsteps in the distance other than our own. “I am not getting stabbed in the name of science,” Darcy mumbles before holding up her hands and shouting out, “It’s okay, we’re Americans.”

“Is that supposed to make them like us,” Jane quietly asks. Three kids slowly walk out into the open from behind a wall, two boys and a girl, not older than eleven or twelve. “Oh, they’re just kids,” she breathes out.

“Are you the police?” the little girl asks.

“No, no, we’re not the police,” I respond.

“We’re scientists,” Jane adds. “Well, we are,” she gestures to herself and I.

Darcy makes a face. “Thanks.”

“We just found it,” one of the boys chimes in.

Darcy and Jane exchange a strange look. “Can you show us?” I ask. The kids look at each other and smirk before motioning us to follow.

The three kids lead us even deeper into the abandoned building, past rusty old lorries and empty shipping containers. I was surprised at how deserted the place was. If there was truly a phenomenon so interesting to garner the attention of Torchwood and Jane Foster, I’m surprised SHIELD hadn’t picked up on it already. A small part of my brain began worrying about the intelligence organization and whether or not something bad was coming.

As I stood there worrying, one of the kids walked away from our little group towards one of the lorries. With a quick glance back at us, he put one hand out to barely touch the fender of the automobile.  _ Holy shit! _ I thought as the truck slowly rose off the ground and began spinning in the air.

“That doesn’t seem right,” Darcy points out.

I pull my phone out and take a few pictures of the floating lorry, sending them immediately back to Torchwood. The little girl motions for us to keep going, and the four of us follow behind, still puzzled over what we had just seen. After walking down another hallway, we find ourselves at a round stairway with a large open section in the middle of the stairs and an opening in the roof above us. It looked as if a skylight had once kept the weather out but had broken several years ago.

The kids spread out on the stairway, one of the boys runs up to the level above us and holds a bottle out into the empty space. If the spinning lorry wasn’t odd enough, this was even weirder. The boy lets go of the bottle and I watch as it falls down. But instead of landing on the ground and shattering like it should have, it just disappears.

“Where’d it go?” Jane asks.

The girl smirks and points up to the broken skylight. We all look up as well and see the bottle appear in the sky and fall to the ground again, only to disappear before impact. I watch in amazement as the cycle continues: the bottle disappearing before hitting the ground and reappearing in the sky.

“That’s…” Jane begins to say.

“That’s fantastic,” I finish for her, a large smile forming on both our faces. The boy reaches out and grabs the bottle, ending the cycle. “It’s a rift in the barrier between worlds. A miniature wormhole.”

Jane looks around her for a moment before picking up a discarded can and dropping it into the empty space. After it disappears, we all look up, expecting it to appear in the sky like the bottle did. But it never appears. “What happened?” she asks.

The little girl shrugs. “Sometimes they come back, sometimes they don’t.”

I glance over and notice the phase meter screen lighting up with several alerts. Jane notices too and takes it from the intern.

“I want to throw something,” Darcy whines. “Jane, give me your shoe.”

Jane holds the phase meter where I can see it as well. “I haven’t seen readings like this since…” 

“Since New Mexico?” Darcy chips in.

“New Mexico?” I question, thinking back to if Torchwood ever picked up on any anomalies in New Mexico.

The phase meter begins beeping loudly, the screen blinking with several different readings. Jane looks from me, to Darcy, back to the phase meter and turns suddenly. I follow behind her, curious to what it’s picking up on. “Don’t touch anything,” I call out behind us.

After walking briskly up the stairs and down a hallway, Jane slows down and glances down at the others on the stairs, still throwing things into the empty space and watching them disappear. 

The readings on the phase meter start spiking. A cold breeze blows in through the broken windows. Despite being dormant for weeks, there’s a nudge in the back of my brain where Bad Wolf stays - letting out a quiet growl, as if warning me of coming danger. I continue following Jane down the hallway, the phase meter beeping faster as we walk. The bad feeling nagging at me gets worse as we turn a corner into a dark hallway. The phase meter is beeping like crazy now.

“Come on,” Jane whispers to me, motioning for me to catch up.

Halfway down the hall, the wind picks up. But not just a heavier breeze - it’s as if a small tornado was stirring inside the building. Suddenly, we’re both being pulled at a fast speed towards the opposite wall. Thankfully, the wall was a rift, just like in the stairwell. We come flying into a dark area, our feet scraping against a stone slab. I just barely manage to catch the back of Jane’s jacket before she slides off the edge of the rock into the endless darkness below. 

“You alright?” I ask, my words echoing through the dark cavernous area. 

“Yeah, I think so,” she replies, looking around in confusion. “Where are we?”

“No idea,” I mumble back, my attention drawn to a soft red light in the distance. Creaking sounds echo all around us, as if the stone slabs were moving. “Here’s something that doesn’t make sense - let’s go poke it with a stick.”

Jane follows me closely as I slowly approach the soft light. It’s coming from inside a giant rock formation. I circle the large stone, glancing inside at the red light. 

“The red light seems to be separating the rock,” Jane points out.

I realize she’s right, that what I believed to be a crevice actually went all the way through. Between the stone, the light began to shift, appearing more like a glowing red liquid floating with no regard to gravity whatsoever. Without warning, it suddenly bunches together and turns, charging at us and knocking me over in surprise. 

“Rose!” Jane exclaims. I glance over and see her trying to brush some of the strange red material off of her hand before her eyes roll back in her head and she collapses. 

The red liquid is on me too I realize.  _ What the hell is this stuff? _ I wonder. Before I have time to really think about it, pain shoots through me - a pain so intense my knees fall out from under me and I collapse next to Jane.

  
  


“Uhn,” I moan when I wake up. I blink a few times, adjusting to the bright light. Sitting up, I realize we’re back in the old warehouse. My head is throbbing intensely and everything just felt… off somehow. I reach out and shake Jane’s shoulder. “Jane, Jane, wake up.”

She grunts in response before slowly opening her eyes. “What the hell was that?” 

“I have no idea, and I really don’t like not knowing.”

Jane slowly stands up. “We need to find Darcy.”

She walks much faster out of the building than we walked inside. As we reach the empty yard where they ran into me (quite literally), I see at least three police cars parked outside. Jane starts jogging once she sees Darcy. Thunder rumbles loudly overhead.

“Jane!” Darcy exclaims loudly and sprints toward us. “Where the hell were you?”

“Tell me you didn’t call the police!” Jane says quietly.

“Well what was I supposed to do?”

“Not call the police,” Jane suggests.

“I was freaking out!” Darcy suggests.

The heavens open and a heavy rain descends, drenching us. The police scramble to grab their raincoats. Darcy and Jane seem unfazed as they continue standing there arguing. That’s when I realize, I’m standing here getting soaked, and neither of them are even wet.

“Jane, you guys were gone for five hours!” Darcy shouts, cutting Jane off any further.

“Sorry, what?” I pipe in, stepping into their little dry circle and out of the pouring rain. Thunder continues rumbling, growing louder, making me think. Quick flashes of that day on the beach come to mind. Another part of me can’t help but think back to the first time I met the God of Thunder on the Quinjet a year ago.

_ “What’s the matter, scared of a little lighting?” Captain Rogers mocks as a large lightning bolt cracks through the sky. _

_ “I’m not overly fond of what follows,” Loki replies, looking nervously around the plane. _

Jane finally stops and notices the rain. Her and Darcy look around them, confusion all over their faces as to why I was soaking wet and they were both perfectly dry. “That’s weird,” Darcy mumbles. 

Jane looks at me as if about to ask a question, before her attention shifts to something behind me. Turning around to see, I find none other than the God of Thunder himself, standing there all heroic-like. Jane freezes for a moment in shock before shoving the phase meter at Darcy and walking toward Thor as if in a trance. The little dry circle follows her, leaving me and Darcy in the rain. “Typical,” I hear Darcy mutter as I slowly follow Jane towards my fellow Avenger.

Thor hasn’t noticed me yet, his eyes only on Jane, a smile on his face. “Jane,” I hear him say with fondness.

She responds with a slap to the face. I can’t hide the delighted smile that crosses my expression. “I like her!”

“Sorry,” she says immediately after. “I just needed to make sure you were real.” Thor nods, clearly taken aback at the outburst. “I’ve had a very strange day,” she continues.

“I know, I…” Thor begins, only to be cut off by another slap.

“Where were you?” Jane demands.

Thor answers with a question of his own. “Where were you? Heimdall could not see you. Oh, Rose,” he says, acknowledging my presence as I stand a few feet away. “You’re here too?”

I hold up my hands and stay silent, knowing better than to get involved in a domestic squabble.

“I was right here where you left me,” Jane goes on. “I was waiting, and then I was crying and then I went out looking for you. You said you were coming back.”

“Hmph,” I snort.  _ Sounds a bit too familiar. _

“I know, I know. But the Bifrost was destroyed. The Nine Realms erupted into chaos. Wars were raging, marauders were pillaging. I had to put an end to the slaughter.”

Jane’s posture loosens up. “As excuses go, that’s not terrible. But I saw you on TV, you were in New York!”

“Jane, I fought to protect you from the dangers of my world, but I was wrong. I was a fool. But I believe that fate brought us together.” He cups the side of her face in his oversized hand. “Jane, I don’t know where you were but I do know this…”

“What?” Jane breathes out.

“I know…”

“You do?”

“Do what?” He asks in confusion. 

_ Ugh, for goodness sake, enough! _ I think as they lean in to kiss. It was an awkward moment for me; reminding me just how alone I truly was. I didn’t like it. Thankfully, Darcy runs up with her coat above her head and intervenes before things got out of hand. 

“Hey! Is this you?” she asks, practically stepping in between the couple, into the dry circle. Thor looks up, and immediately the rain stops.

“Right then, that’s better,” I say, walking up to the trio now that the long-lost lover moments were over with. 

“Uh, we’re kind of in the middle of something here,” Jane tries to say.

Darcy points a finger over at the policemen. “Um, I’m pretty sure we are getting arrested.” 

Jane looks to Thor and holds a finger up and says, “Hold that thought,” before rushing off.

“Nice to see you, Thor,” I chuckle, standing next to the God of Thunder, nudging his enormous arm with my shoulder.

“Yes, it is good to see you again Rose Tyler. I admit I had wished to speak to you.”

Darcy steps closer and draws his attention, interrupting whatever he might have said next. “Look at you, still all muscly and everything. How’s space?”

I can’t help but let out a small laugh at her broad question. “Space is fine, your world is safe,” he responds.

“Safe? No, of course it’s not safe. There’s about a billion other things out there just waiting to burn this whole world. But, if you want to pretend you’re safe so you can sleep at night? Okay, you’re safe - but not really,” I add. Darcy stares at me dumbfounded, but I can see Thor glance over at me with an amused expression.

Now, I’ve had some pretty weird days - like your best friend has become living plastic and obsessed with pizza kind of days, or preventing oversized green aliens from starting World War III kind of days, but this day… finding floating trucks, magic portals where things disappear, and getting knocked out by a mysterious red liquid - this day wins a spot as one of my weirdest days on Earth.

If all of that didn’t make it weird enough, a giant bubble of red tinted energy erupts from near the police cars, knocking Jane and the policemen on their asses. Thor shields Darcy with his body, but the full force of the energy wave hits me, making my head throb anew. It felt like someone was repeatedly hitting me with a hammer.

“Jane!” Thor calls out once the energy wave passes, rushing to her side.

Ignoring my throbbing head, I follow suit, and kneel by her side to start checking her vitals. 

“Are you alright?” Thor asks as he helps her sit up.

“What just happened?” she moans in response.

One of the police officers makes a hesitant approach, holding a nightstick at the ready. Behind him, two more are waiting with their guns drawn and aimed at us. “Put your hands on your head,” the first orders. 

“This woman is unwell,” Thor says.

“She’s dangerous,” the officer tries to argue.

“Thor, I think that energy wave came from Jane,” I murmur, just loud enough for him to hear. 

He glances at me and nods. “They can’t help her here, she needs Asgardian care.” Thor puts an arm around Jane to support her and pulls her close. “Hold on to me,” he says.

“What are you doing? Rose, what’s going on?” she questions.

“Something very Spock,” I mutter, wrapping an arm around Thor’s own. Within seconds, the sky clouds over, thunder sounds, and a colorful beam envelopes us, carrying us upwards and away from the Earth. 

It’s beautiful, so beautiful. The lights that held us kept constantly shifting and changing in color. Different than traveling in the Tardis, where we were thrown around inside the Time Vortex; this felt like flying: smooth and controlled. Beyond the lights though, was a sight I don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of - the stars and planets and nebulas, all shining with undiscovered potential.

The trip is over far too early for my liking, a black dot appearing at the end of the light. The landing is completely opposite the Tardis as well - a soft landing left standing instead of falling over onto my ass.

“We have got to do that again,” I exclaim. Jane appears next to me, her face glowing with wonder and happiness.  _ I wonder if that’s what I look like _ , I think to myself.

“Hi,” Jane says, her gaze finally noticing the large guard standing in the middle of the domed room.

“Welcome to Asgard,” his deep voice replies, a small smirk on his face.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, still no Loki. But to be fair, he's really not in The Dark World until halfway through the movie, so I'm doing my best. Trying to stick mostly with the established timeline and all. But I promise, very soon! As always, let me know what you think, where I could improve, or just something you thought was funny :)


	9. Relics of a Bygone Era

Hoping to avoid attention and blend in, I follow Thor as he takes Jane straight to their healers. I was slightly on edge now that I was actually here. Barely three months before I had almost been arrested by these same people. With all these new thoughts and worries buzzing through my head, I stand back in their infirmary, next to Thor as we watch Jane repeatedly interrupt the skilled healers with questions as they work with their technology, highly advanced to that of Earth. 

“What’s that? Ooh, what does that do?”

“Be still,” the main healer replies. 

A novice healer comes over to stand on the other side of Thor, and I visibly stiffen. “This is not of Earth,” he states. “What is it?”

“We do not know,” the novice replies sadly. “But she will not survive the amount of energy surging within her.” The novice bows her head before walking away. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.

“Do the healers frighten you, Rose?” He asks with a quizzical expression.

“Um, no. Not exactly. Just haven’t had the best experiences with hospitals or healers. Specifically of the cat-nun variety,” I mumble.

“You have had such unusual adventures. I’m sure you have a great many tales to tell. Although, perhaps for another time.” Thor turns back to watch Jane, a concerned look to his face now. “You were with Jane earlier, do you not know what happened?”

“We were investigating a gravitational anomaly, and got pulled through a rift somewhere unknown,” I say quietly. My head throbs worse as I think back to the event, but I continue anyway, trying not to grimace. “There was some sort of strange red liquid, and it attacked me, but it was so painful I blacked out right after. We woke up hours later back in that warehouse.”

Thor turns to me, his concern clearly growing. “It attacked you?” But before he can say anything further, the sharp voice of the Allfather sounds throughout the room.

“My words are mere noises to you that you ignore them completely?” 

I take a step back into the shadows as the King of Asgard walks into the room, hoping he doesn’t notice me. “She is ill,” Thor reasons. 

“She is mortal,” the Allfather counters. “Illness is their defining trait.” 

_ Been in the room all but ten seconds and I already dislike his pompous ass. _

“I brought her here because we can help her.”

“She does not belong here on Asgard any more than a goat belongs at a banquet table.”

All of the healers back out of the room. Jane sits up and looks to Thor with an expression of shock. “Did he just…who do you think you are?”

“I am Odin, King of Asgard. Protector of the Nine Realms.” the Allfather replies.

“Oh,” Jane says, slightly taken aback. “Well I’m…”

Odin cuts her off. “I know very well who you are, Jane Foster.”

Jane looks at Thor with a strange expression. “You told your dad about me?”

Thor moves from his spot and around Jane towards his father, leaving me visible to Odin. “Something is within her, Father, something I have not seen before.”

“Her world has its healers. They are called ‘doctors,’ let them deal with it!” Odin begins walking back towards the door he came in. “Guards, take her back to Midgard!” He orders before looking directly at me, “And don’t think I’ve overlooked your presence, Rose Tyler.”

Just after he speaks, two guards enter and surround Jane. One reaches out to take her arm and another wave of red tinted energy erupts through the room, knocking the guards back and causing Jane to collapse back on the table she had been sitting on. 

The pounding in my head turns to a burning sensation and I can’t help but grimace as I clutch my head in my hands.

Thor is by Jane’s side in an instant. “Jane, are you alright?”

“Yeah,” she manages to breath out.

Odin returns to the room at the sudden commotion and stands by Jane’s other side. He looks down at her arm with interest, his hand hovering just over hers as he traces down her arm. “It’s impossible.”

“It’s protecting her,” I mumble from behind Odin. 

“No,” Thor answers. “It’s protecting itself.”

“Come with me,” Odin orders. “You as well, Miss Tyler.”

  
  


The three of us follow the King of Asgard down several corridors before walking into a large room, with pillars all around taking up most of the space.

“There are relics,” Odin begins, “that pre-date the universe itself. What lies within her appears to be one of them.”

The room itself was not the impressive part. What had my mouth dropping open was illusions of several different galaxies hovering in the air above us. It was absolutely breathtaking in its beauty.

“The Nine Realms are not eternal,” the Allfather continues. “They had a dawn, as they will have a dusk.” He stops at a table in the center of the room and opens a large book glowing with gold. “But before that dawn the dark forces - the Dark Elves - reigned absolute and unchallenged.”

Thor leans over and reads aloud from the book. “ ‘Born of eternal night, the Dark Elves come to steal away the light.’ I know these stories, Mother told them to us as children.”

I couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of the universe plunging into an eternal darkness. Somehow the thought of it just felt...wrong.

“Their leader, Malekith, made a weapon out of that darkness and it was called the Aether. While the other relics often appear as stones, the Aether is fluid and ever changing. It changes matter into dark matter. It seeks out host bodies, drawing strength from their life force.” As Odin speaks, the pictures in the book began to move and change, illustrating his story. “Malekith sought to use the Aether’s power to return the universe to one of darkness. But after eternities of bloodshed, my father Bor finally triumphed, ushering in a peace that lasted thousands of years.” 

“What happened?” I dare to ask, looking Odin straight on as he turns his one-eyed gaze upon me fully.

“Something I’m sure you’re quite familiar with, Rose Tyler - he killed them all.”

My eyes narrow at his comment. I didn’t need reminding of what I had used the power of Bad Wolf to do, especially not from this man.

“Are you sure?” Thor asks, interrupting our staring match. “The Aether was said to be destroyed with them, and yet here it is.”

Odin looks at him with a haughty look. “The Dark Elves are dead.”

“Does your book happen to mention how to get it out of me?” Jane finally speaks up.

“No, it does not,” Odin says solemnly, ending the conversation and turns to walk out of the room. “Walk with me, Rose Tyler, we have much to discuss.”

I make a face at Thor and Jane before begrudgingly following Odin from the room into another hallway. 

After a few moments walking in silence, he finally speaks up. “Quite bold of you to venture to Asgard. Are you so foolish to believe yourself acquitted solely because my son accompanied you here?”

I glare back. “I would think as Allfather you’d already know why I’m here.”

Odin chuckles. “It’s true I have my suspicions, but tell me: did you return on behalf of the Earth woman my son is so fond of, or because you too have felt the effects of the Aether and know none of your ‘doctors’ can help you?”

My look of dislike turns to one of disbelief. “How’d you…”

“The Aether sought you out first, did it not? Your life force is stronger than ordinary mortals and would have been a more suitable host, yet Jane Foster harbors some of its power inside of her, lessening its effect on the both of you.”

“It did touch me, yeah. But all I felt was pain, not power,” I admit.

“I noticed you did not rush to Jane’s side as Thor did, but rather recoiled in pain where you stood. I believe that the Aether reacts negatively to you due to whatever power already lives inside you.”

“It’s the darkness, isn’t it?” I ask. “You said the Aether is darkness turned into a weapon.”

“Yes, I think so. If it was simply a matter of reacting to the relic because you are not from this world, we would already know. The Aether is not the first relic to cross your path. The Tesseract is also a relic from the dawn of time. These relics are what are known as Infinity Stones. Their effects differ because they hold different powers: the Tesseract can control space, something you yourself align with. Some believe the Aether could change the reality around us, allowing Malekith to use it to return the universe to darkness.”

“I never touched the Tesseract, but I could feel the power it gave off. It felt...natural, not weird or dangerous or anything - almost familiar. But how did we even find this...Infinity stone? It didn’t feel like we were on Earth.”

“Every five thousand years, the worlds align perfectly, and we call this the Convergence. During this time the borders between worlds become blurred. It is possible you found such a point. You are fortunate it remained open; once the worlds pass out of alignment, the connection is lost, and you would have remained there forever.”

“That’s lovely then, isn’t it,” I remark sarcastically. “So what happens now? Am I still under arrest?”

Odin chuckles. “No, not anymore. Loki has been returned to the dungeons as punishment for his crimes, and Thor has defended you with honor. The matter is no longer relevant. For the time being, you will be free to move around Asgard as you will, but know that it is with thin trust.”

“And what about Loki?”

He sighs, looking at me with almost sadness in his eye. “Loki is not to know of your being here. He refuses to feel any sort of guilt for his actions and shows no signs of changing his ways. I have spared his life, but my original sentence stands: he is never allowed to see you again.”

Despite how angry I still was at Loki, it still felt as if someone had just sucker punched me in the stomach. “Can’t say I agree with your decision.”

“Am I not King of the Nine Realms? I can do as I see fit.” He replies, the softness gone from his tone. Before I have a chance to reply, he turns and walks away from me, leaving me alone with my thoughts and worries.


	10. Chaos Erupts

You know that saying, “Could today get any worse?” Well never ask yourself that, because odds are the universe will take that as a challenge.

And the universe has a strange sense of humor I’ll never understand.

I have absolutely no idea where I am after Odin leaves me standing alone in the hall. So I just let my legs move on autopilot, my mind too preoccupied trying to process this damn day and forget the throbbing pain between my eyes that wouldn’t go away. 

_ Why cares what that pompous ass says?  _ A dark voice whispers inside my head.  _ You have the power of the Time Vortex and an Infinity Stone inside you! You have more power than these pretenders could hope to attain! _

I’m jolted from my dark train of thought by the sound of my name being called, rather loudly. “Huh, what?”

“Rose?” Jane laughs, but her expression changes once she really gets a chance to look at me. “Rose, you look terrible. What happened? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, m’fine. Really, don’t worry ‘bout me. You got enough going on already,” I manage to say, trying not to listen to that dark voice whispering,  _ If you managed to take the rest of the Aether from her, you would be unstoppable.  _ I try to focus instead on my surroundings; I’d wandered outside, finally feeling sunlight on my skin for the first time in days. Jane had changed, now dressing in a pale green dress with a matching robe.

“Tell me about it,” she replies, rolling her eyes.

“I had planned for this to just be a small adventure, where I check out an anomaly as an excuse to play with my Space Hopper. Funny, I should know the universe better by now than to think anything would go like I plan.”

Jane frowns. “Space Hopper?”

I plop down on a random stone bench and pat the spot next to me, holding out my wrist to show her the device. “Reconditioned teleport technology. Allows me to jump from one plane of this dimension to another within seconds.”

“I don’t even know what to say to that,” she replies, her eyes studying the device on my wrist intently. After a moment, she quietly asks, “How do you seem to know Thor? What, do you have some sort of ancient power eating away at you too?” She jokes.

I grimace slightly in return as I stare out past the courtyard. “We’re very similar, you and me. We study the same thing, we just see it differently. You see an anomaly and assume it has to do with physics. I see one, and assume it has to do with time and space. Time is a force in itself, most people just don’t understand it very well. Trust me, I’ve read all the papers and research. Back on Earth, I’m considered  one of the supreme most knowledgeable minds on space/time travel and alien life. People assume that is a strict progression of cause to cause to effect. But actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it’s more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey, stuff.” I move my hands around as if cupping an invisible ball, illustrating my point.

Jane just stares at me like I’d grown a second head.

“What made you want to study astrophysics, Jane? I’m willing to bet it’s because when you looked up at the stars in the sky at night, you had dreams. You dreamt of another sky - new sun, new air, new life. A whole universe teeming with life. Why stand still when there’s all that life out there?

“I’ve seen it - that other sky, that universe. I’ve seen so much. I’ve seen Time itself. I once had the entire Time Vortex running through my head. There’s still a portion of it that lives inside me,” I explain, tapping the side of my head to emphasize my point. “It was dormant until last year.”

“The Incident,” Jane mutters. “You were the glowing hero?”

I smile. “I fought there, yeah. That’s where I met Thor. We fought side by side as Avengers.”

“How come no one knows about you? And how did you fight with the Avengers? Don’t take this the wrong way, but you look...normal.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “I’m far from normal, Jane.”

“Don’t let Odin hear you say that,” comes a maternal voice from behind us. Turning my head, I see Thor and his mother, Frigga, walking towards us. 

“Jane Foster, this is Frigga, Queen of Asgard, and my mother,” Thor says in introduction. 

“Uh, hi,” Jane stammers out in reply.

As Jane stood there speechless, alarms began sounding throughout the palace.

“The prisons,” Frigga says.

“Loki,” I whisper, my gaze meeting Thor’s before he looks questioningly at his mother.

“Go,” she nods, “I will look after her.”

“Should I…?” I begin, but Thor shakes his head “no” and Jane nervously grabs my hand.

With a longing glance at Jane and a quick nod at me, he sprints off and dives off the nearest balcony, flying off with Mjolnir towards the prisons. “Showoff,” I mutter.

Frigga grabs Jane’s forearm and begins dragging her through the palace as I jog to keep up. 

Up ahead, Odin is marching with a squadron of guards, shouting orders. “We must defend the dungeons at all cost!”

“Odin,” Frigga calls out as we approach.

“Frigga,” the Allfather replies, his tone softening momentarily before shouting for the guards to go. “Just a skirmish. Nothing to fear,” he says to his wife.

“You’ve never been a very good liar,” Frigga warns him.

Jane stands by Frigga’s side, but I purposely stand behind her, hoping to avoid anyone’s attention. 

“Take them to your chambers,” Odin continues, motioning to Jane and I, “I’ll come for you when it’s safe.” 

“You take care,” his wife responds.

Odin reaches his hand out to cup Frigga’s cheek. “After all I have survived, my queen still worries over me.” 

“It’s only because I worry over you that you have survived,” Frigga retorts as she ushers Jane away and motions for me to follow. As we hurry away, the queen grabs a sword from a soldier. “Listen to me now. I need you to do everything I ask, no questions,” she says, sending me a pointed look. 

“Yes ma’am,” Jane says without hesitation. 

“What’re you planning?” I ask. Frigga doesn’t answer and continues walking briskly through the palace, leading us to a small room.

“There is a portion of the Aether inside you both, therefore it is safer to keep you apart. Whatever power is inside you, Rose, use it to protect yourself; my magic can only shield one of you.”

All I can do is nod in reply, worry eating at me from the inside. 

  
  


I stood in silence with Frigga in her chambers; Jane was hidden away deep within the palace somewhere only Frigga knew, protected by her magic. That same magic was projecting an image of Jane here in the room with us, using her as bait. Outside, a dozen or so guards stood protecting the doors.

“They will come, and when they do, you cannot let them have the Aether,” Frigga warns, gripping her sword tightly. I nod my understanding and watch as she walks across the room and removes what looks to be a decorative sword off the wall. Holding it out to me, she asks, “Can you wield it?”

Hesitantly, I take it. It’s lighter than I expected, but still heavy enough to do some damage. “I’ll figure it out,” I reply, swinging it in an arc to test.

The sounds of battle startle us all, just beyond the doors now. “They’re here. Sit here, child,” she tells Jane’s illusion, pointing to a small couch. “Rose, try to stay back. Whatever is inside you clouds the Aether; they shouldn’t be able to sense it in you.”

Without further warning, her chamber doors are pushed open. Jane’s illusion stands nervously and retreats to the corner. Frigga stands fearless between us and the intruder.

The individual is not what I fully expected. He’s tall, wearing silver armor and black robes. His skin and hair are pale white, the later pulled back into a braid. 

“Stand down, creature,” Frigga warns, “and you may still survive this.”

He continues his advance. “I have survived worse, woman.” His voice is like coal, dark and unsettling.

“Who are you?” she asks, steadily walking to meet it.

“I am Malekith,” he states, his gaze moving from Frigga over to Jane. “And I will have what is mine.”

Frigga looks back at us, and Jane moves to hide behind furniture, her face frozen in fear. Malekith tries to advance towards her, but Frigga uses that moment to slice at his neck. She grazes him, causing him to stagger back and unsheath his own weapon and thrust at her. She parries with ease, disarming him quickly, forcing him back as he blocks her repeated blows. She’s winning, her sword suddenly pinned against his throat. But before victory is hers, a monster - twice the size of any man, grotesque and burnt like charcoal - marches in and grabs her by the neck. It pulls her off Malekith, raising her into the air and out of his way. It holds her there, watching as Malekith renews his advance towards Jane. “You have taken something, child.”

I step up, putting myself between them, sword at the ready. “Yeah? Well you still can’t have it.”

His steps slow, his attention on me and drawn away from Jane. Unfortunately, I am not as skilled as Frigga when it comes to sword fighting. In the blink of an eye, he’s on me, trying to wrestle the sword from my grasp. I keep my grip, but he changes tactics, tossing me against the wall and knocking the air from my lungs. I sink to the ground, gasping for air as he reaches Jane’s illusion.

“Give it back,” he orders her. As he goes to reach for her, her image disappears in a shimmer of yellow light. He freezes for a moment, before turning to glare a Frigga in anger. “Witch!” 

Frigga smirks. 

I reach for my sword, only to feel Malekith’s fingers wrap around my neck and lift me up, pinning me to the wall. My hands claw at the Dark Elf’s grip, my lungs desperate for air. “Where is the Aether?” He demands, looking over at Frigga. 

The monster has his arm around her neck now, restraining her from helping me. “I’ll never tell,” she says with narrowed eyes.

Malekith doesn’t even seem to register my struggles, nodding at the monster. “I believe you.” With those words, the monster runs his sword through Frigga’s side into her chest. 

“No!” Thor yells, running into the room and sending a bolt of lightning straight at Malekith’s face. He’s thrown away from me, lying unconscious on the ground, face smoldering. I land in a heap on the floor, clutching my throat and gasping in air. Thor continues his attack, leaping across the room at the monster as he pulls Malekith away. It hit, succeeding in knocking them off the balcony.

I crawl over to Frigga, her blood pooling around her. Taking her hand, I hold it close. Her mouth is moving, like she’s trying to talk, but nothing comes out. The hand I’m holding pulls, and I lean down close enough to hear: “Help him.” I draw away to look at her, to ask what she means, but it’s too late. Her eyes are glossed over, her chest no longer rising and falling with breath. The Queen of Asgard is dead.


	11. Aftermath

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” I whisper repeatedly, guilt eating away at me. 

A heavy hand rests on my shoulder. “Rose,” Thor says, his voice full of pain.

“I couldn’t stop him.” He helps me up and pulls me close, wrapping a warm arm around me in comfort.

“You did what you could,” he reassures. We’re standing there together when Odin enters, slowly approaching his wife to kneel down and cradle her head in his arms. Jane appears not long after, standing in the doorway. 

“Rose, come with me,” she whispers, suddenly right beside me. I nod, casting one last look at his sorrowing face as I leave the chamber. Catching Jane by the hand, I pull her along with me.

“Where are we going,” she asks softly.

“I dunno,” I answer truthfully, genuinely unsure what to do next.

Jane stops me by the arm. “It’s not your fault, Rose.”

I shake my head, pulling my arm from her grasp. “Go back to your chambers, you’ll be safe there.”

“What about you?”

“I can’t, I...I need to be alone for awhile. Please,” I ask, stepping away. She nods, and I turn away and walk away down the ornate halls.

I understand why the Doctor didn’t notice his surroundings sometimes; I was so caught up in my thoughts and emotions that I was blocking out the entire world around me.

My head is pounding. I’m trying so hard to focus on anything else but I can’t. The queen is dead, and I couldn’t save her. A tear escapes and slides down my cheek. 

_ “Why so sad, Arkytior?” _

Turning, I come face to face with the human form of Bad Wolf - her face and body eerily identical to my own; her blond hair wild and untamed; her clothes torn and loose; her eyes glowing bright gold outlined by coal. She stands there nonchalantly, looking down at her hands as if there was a hangnail she was more concerned with than me.  _ “You’ve been doing a very good job of suppressing me lately. Granted, you had a little boost from the Aether today.” _

“Wha...what are you talking about? I didn’t try to suppress you!” I reply, suddenly angry.

Bad Wolf continues. _ “Oh no? Don’t try to fool me, Arkytior, I’m in your head. I’m a part of you,” _ she practically whispers, her full attention on me now.  _ “You’ve been trying to suppress me ever since the Dalek crucible, since the day you returned to this world. You don’t just blame yourself for making the decision to end the Daleks, or for getting left behind - you blame me. Stop me when I’m wrong.” _

“But I…”

_ “You should have had the power to fend off this Aether infection from the start! Now you’ve let it worm it’s way inside you!” _

“I know, I know, it’s all my fault!” I finally say, my voice full of guilt. “It’s my fault I killed them all. It’s my fault I got left behind again. It’s my fault he got thrown back in prison. It’s my fault Jane has the Aether. It’s my fault Frigga is dead!”

Silence. Bad Wolf is gone, leaving me standing alone with my guilt.

The realm gathers for the Queen’s funeral, as well as the rest of those who died today. I stand next to Thor, wearing a sleeveless golden dress and sandals that wrapped all the way up my calf. Jane is by his other side, her hand in his. 

We stand on a high balcony, overlooking the water surrounding the city. Odin stands at the front, watching the true Viking funeral with a sadness felt by all. At his command, an archer lets loose a fiery arrow, igniting the Queen’s funeral pyre and boat. Not a sound was uttered as the archers all follow suit, igniting the remaining boats. It’s hauntingly beautiful as the people offer up miniature stars to the sky.

“Symbolizing the dead’s souls reaching Valhalla,” a light voice whispers from behind me. I glance back to see a blond man with styled hair, and matching styled facial hair. He smiles softly, inclining his head with a nod of introduction.

I nod in return, knowing full well this is not the time for socializing. As I watch them all fall over the edge of this world, I can think only of Loki. His mother was the one person he never spoke ill of. Maybe that’s who Frigga meant with her final words: “Help him.”

After the funeral, I’m given a chamber of my own, but I can’t sleep. The dark voice in my head is overwhelming.  _ Take the Aether, take it all. Wipe out the Dark Elves as you did the Daleks, and anyone else that stands in your way. _

“Get out of my head,” I growl into the air. 

_ “That’s it, Arkytior,” _ Bad Wolf appears before me.  _ “Fight the darkness. Do not let it consume you.”  _

_ Embrace your pain, embrace the darkness.  _ The dark voice croons.  _ Take back control like you did before. _ The image of Kilgrave’s frozen, motionless body fills my head.  _ Think of the power you could have! _

“No!” I exclaim, grabbing Bad Wolf’s hands and feeling her power flow through me like a splash of cool water, washing the dark voice and thoughts away. “I will not become a monster.”

Bad Wolf smiles at me, her face and body reflecting my own: glowing golden eyes and soft tendrils of pure light wrapping around us.  _ “Welcome back, my warrior,” _ she says, slowly fading away as the power surging through me calms.

A knock at the door is a welcome sound. I open it to find Thor standing there, wearing a blue cloak over his armor. “Come with me,” is all he says, turning to walk away. Without hesitation, I follow him down the hallways, through corridors, marching into a vast throne room, covered with gold like the rest of the palace. Tall pillars and arches add to the splendor of the area, despite all the rubble and debris scattered along the ground. The elevated, yet destroyed throne and the people standing there draw my attention: Odin, as well as the blond man from the funeral, and several guards and advisors. Thor continues walking until we reach them. 

“She’s your prisoner now?” He asks, stepping up to the platform. Odin barely glances his way. “Leave us,” Thor orders the others, sparing a glance at a larger red-haired man and the blond one as they walk out.

Slowly, Odin turns and walks down to us. “I do not wish to fight with you.”

“Or I with you,” Thor replies, turning to watch as Odin continues walking past us. “But I intend to pursue Malekith.”

“We possess the Aether. Malekith will come to us.”

“Yes, and he will destroy us.”

Odin continues walking away. “You overestimate the power of these creatures.”

“No,” Thor counters. “I value our people’s lives. I’ll take Jane and Rose to the Dark World and draw the enemy away from Asgard. When Malekith pulls the Aether from Jane he’ll be exposed and vulnerable. I will destroy it and him.”

Odin stops, turning to face his son. “And if you fail? You risk this weapon falling into the hands of our enemies. I’d rather see it consume her before I let Malekith take it,” he turns his stern gaze at me.

“The risk is far greater if we do nothing. His ship could be over our heads right now and we’d never even know it.”

“If and when he comes, his men will fall on ten thousand Asgardian blades.”

“And how many of your men will fall on theirs?” I ask softly.

“As many as are needed!” The All-father yells back. “We will fight to the last Asgardian breath, the last drop of Asgardian blood.” 

Thor looks speechless, unable to process what he’s hearing his father say.

“Then how are you any different from Malekith?” I venture further, having already incurred the King’s anger.

He laughs in my face. “The difference, my dear, is that I will win.” With a loud tap of his sceptre against the stone floor, he turns and walks away.

“He’s grieving,” I say to Thor as he makes to follow him.

Thor stops and nods sadly at me in agreement, his gaze straying to the dormant and wrecked Dark Elf ship sitting before us. “We have to protect Asgard, even if it means defying my father.”

I rest my hand on his much larger shoulder. “I’m with you, Point Break,” I smirk at him, using the nickname Tony Stark had given him. “But we’re going to need some help.”

He nods again. “That won’t be too difficult.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter before we get some Loki :)


	12. Escape from Asgard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took so long to write. You wouldn't believe how many times I rewatched this part of the movie, trying to get everything in order. But hey, Loki's back! So it was all worth it.

“You’re not at Odin’s war council?” Thor asks Heimdall, the imposing armor clad guard I had first seen upon arriving in Asgard. His golden armor covers so much of him there’s not much to see other than his bright golden eyes.

“The Bifrost is closed by your father’s orders. No one is to come or to go,” the guard replies, removing his helmet and placing it down on the small table we sit at.

Thor and I are sitting in a small tavern in one of the lower levels of the city. Frequented enough by Thor that it wouldn’t look out of place, he reasoned, and there would be less of a chance of being overheard.

Heimdall takes a seat across from us. “We face an enemy that is invisible even to me; what use is a guardian such as I?” He sighs.

“Malekith will return, you know this,” Thor states. Lowering his voice, he adds, “and I need your help.”

A sad expression crosses Heimdall’s face. “I cannot overrule my king’s wishes. Not even for you.”

“No, I’m not asking you to,” Thor reasons. “The realms need their Allfather strong and unchallenged, whether he is or not. But he is blinded, Heimdall; by hatred and by grief.”

“As are we all,” he replies, turning his gaze towards me. His eyes are like nothing I’ve ever seen before: it’s like looking out into space itself.

Thor sighs. “I see clearly enough.”

“The risks are too great,” Heimdall whispers.

“Everything we do from here on is a risk. But there’s no other way.”

After a moment, Heimdall lowers his head in defeat. “What do you require of me?”

“We must gather the others: Sif, Fandral, and Volstagg. I have arranged to meet them once the sun sets.”

“I shall follow you, my prince.”

We follow Thor to the lowest portion of the city, the streets illuminated only by several lampposts scattered here and there. We are the first to arrive, walking into an inn and straight to a private room in the back. Thor takes his place at the small round table, motioning for me to sit next to him. Heimdall takes a stand against the wall behind Thor.

Not long after we arrive, the others arrive. Two I had seen earlier that day, the blond man from the funeral, and a tall, robust man with wild red hair and beard. With them, a tall dark-haired woman, who looks as capable of killing me with a single stroke as the red-head.

“Rose, please meet Fandral, Volstagg, and Lady Sif,” Thor motions to the blond, the ginger, and the woman in turn. “My oldest and most trusted friends.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” I reply. Fandral and Volstagg nod my way. Sif simply glares, taking the other seat next to Thor.

“Thank you all for coming,” Thor begins. “What I’m about to ask of you is treason of the highest order. Success will bring us exile, and failure should mean our death. Malekith knew the Aether was here; he can sense its power. If we do nothing, he will come for it again but this time lay waste to all of Asgard. We must move Jane offworld.”

“The Bifrost has been shut-down and the Tesseract locked away in the vault,” Sif protests.

“There are other paths off Asgard, ways known only to a few,” Heimdall corrects.

Thor looks reluctant as he says, “One, actually.” His three friends all share a concerned look. “Rose, that’s where you come in. I can get him out, but only you can get him to come with us.”

My head snaps up at his words. “What makes you think he’ll want anything to do with me? He abandoned me.”

“The two things Loki most values are chaos and power. If I know my brother, he will immediately sense the Aether inside you, and begin scheming on a way to take it from you.”

I purse my lips in thought. “Good point.”

“He will betray you,” Fandral warns.

“He will try,” Thor replies, traces of a threat in his voice. 

“You’re mad,” Volstagg shakes his head.

“Thank goodness for that, cause if I wasn’t, this’d probably never work,” I smile, reveling in their disturbed looks.

Fandral still isn’t convinced. “Well, what then? Your lovely mortal is being guarded by a legion of Einherjar who will see you coming from miles away.”

“I won’t be the one who comes for her,” Thor states, turning to look at Sif.

She gives him a look of protest. “And what of the Allfather?”

Heimdall leans forward. “It is my sworn duty to notify him of crimes against the throne.”

“Assuming you can get Loki’s help and free this mortal, what good would it do?” Volstagg bursts out. “We’d all be dead the minute we step one foot outside the palace.”

Thor nods in agreement. “That, my friend, is why we won’t be leaving by foot.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about your part in the plan sooner,” Thor apologizes later that night. We’re sitting on a balcony in the palace, sitting around a fire.

“Quite alright,” I offer, giving him an encouraging smile. “If you’d told me in private beforehand, I probably would have said no. As it was, I couldn't really do that.” I look up at the stars above us in wonder. “It really is beautiful here. I can see why you love it.”

“Asgard is my home, my people,” Thor replies. “Surely you have that back on Earth? What about that small fellow, Sticky?”

I can’t help but laugh. “Mickey,” I correct, the laughter dying away. “And no, not anymore. He went home, back to the universe we came from. I have my mum, Pete, and little Tony, but I still worry. I’m not quite human anymore. The simple human life they want for me can never happen. For the rest of my life, however long that may be, I’ll always be fighting; defending the Earth and everyone on it...even though I’m not one of them.”

Thor puts a warm hand on my shoulder. “Asgard could be your home, if you so choose. You would be a mighty warrior who defends the realms.”

I open my mouth to respond, but he stops me. “Don’t say anything right now. First, we must get some rest. Tomorrow, we save Asgard.” 

“Of course. Goodnight, Thor.”

The dungeons are just like I saw in my dream, all those months ago. Most of the cells were simple white rooms with see-through walls made of a golden energy field. Loki’s was the only one with furniture. The one closest to the guard post. The one most heavily guarded.

Thor turns to me before we enter the dungeons, stopping. “Perhaps it would be best if I approach him first,” he suggests in a low voice.

“It’s your plan,” I reply, gesturing him forward with a wave.

With a deep breath, he opens the door and strides in. I quietly follow, making sure to stay out of view of Loki’s cell.

“Thor,” his sultry voice calls out upon seeing his brother. “After all this time, and now you come to visit me. Why,” he growls. There’s a faint green shimmer to his form, almost like he isn’t real.

Thor says nothing, standing before him with a look of sadness.

“Have you come to gloat? To mock?”

“Loki, enough,” Thor orders. “No more illusions.”

The whole room fades away with a shimmer, replaced with a scene of wreckage and despair. Every piece of furniture is broken or knocked over. Loki himself is sitting on the floor, leaning up against the only stable wall. I’d never seen him so broken. His clothes were wrinkled and torn, his feet bare and covered in blood, and his normally long, slicked back hair completely disheveled.

When he speaks this time, my heart breaks from the anguish it holds. “Now you see me, brother.”

Thor walks to the otherside, closest to where Loki sits.

“Did she suffer?” Loki asks, a semblance of hope in his tone.

“I did not come here to share in our grief,” his brother replies, turning and pressing a button to disable the cell barrier. “Instead I offer you a chance at a far richer sacrament.”

Loki’s demeanor changes instantly. “Go on,” he replies, all traces of hurt gone. 

“I know you seek vengeance as much as I do. You help us escape Asgard, and I will grant it to you. Vengeance...and afterward, this cell.”

Loki chuckles, letting out a sigh. “You must be truly desperate to come to me for help. What makes you think you can trust me?”

“I don’t,” he deadpans. “Mother did. But you should know that when we fought each other in the past, I always did so with a glimmer of home that my brother was still in there somewhere. That hope no longer exists to protect you. You betray me, and I will kill you.”

Loki stands gracefully and walks up towards Thor, stopping only a few feet away. “And who exactly is it that I am helping escape Asgard?”

I take that as my que and silently walk up behind Thor.

His grin melts completely as his eyes glance over to see me standing there. “Rose?” he whispers. “You’re here?”

“Loki,” I reply. My voice is flat, void of emotion.

“You were supposed to stay away from me,” Loki says, stalking towards me like a predator. “You were supposed to forget me and live your life.”

I smirk up at him, narrowing my eyes and sarcastically replying, “Not sure if you’ve noticed, but things don’t usually go like they’re supposed to when I’m around.” Slowly, he lifts a tentative hand up to touch my face. “Don’t,” I warn, my smirk evaporating. “You don’t get to touch me. Try and I might just make Thor wait his turn to kill you.”

He smiles down at me instead, in his own twisted way pleased with my reaction. Glancing at Thor, he asks, “When do we start?”

“We act now,” Thor replies.

His gaze back on me, never breaking contact, his image shimmers before me, the broken man before me now fully dressed in his usual green and black leather and robes, hints of gold on the small amount of armor he has. Even his hair returns to its usual state. “Lead the way,” he whispers.

My eyes roll at his display, turning to march out of the dungeons. Thor and Loki follow, with the former taking the lead. 

“This is so unlike you, brother. So clandestine. Are you sure you wouldn’t rather just punch your way out?”

“If you keep speaking I just might,” Thor growls.

“Fine, as you wish,” he retorts. “I’m not even here.” With a shimmer of green light, he transforms into an Asgardian soldier. “Is this better?”

“Better company at least,” his brother offers.

“Still,” Loki drawls, “we could be less conspicuous.” With a flash of light around us, Thor and I are changed with a flick of his hand. Where Thor was walking, now Sif is in his place. I look down and see in place of the golden dress I’d been wearing, a dark emerald dress takes its place; the neckline plunging down to my hips, the long slits on either side not leaving much of my legs to the imagination.. 

“Loki,” I growl.

“Mmm, Rose, you look ravishing,” he taunts, his eyes wandering down the bare skin of my chest.

“It will hurt no less when I kill you in this form,” Thor warns.

“Very well,” Loki holds his hands up in peace. “Perhaps you prefer one of your new companions, given that you seem to like them so much.”

With yet another flash of green, Thor is himself again. In Loki’s place, however, stands Stever Rogers: suited up in the full Captain America suit, shield and all. My dress remains unchanged.

“Hey!” I protest, but it falls on deaf ears.

“Oh, this is much better.” Loki says, a hop in his step. “Ooh, yes. The costume is a bit much. So tight. But the confidence,” he pauses for dramatic effect, lifting a closed fist up to make a point. “I can feel the righteousness surging.” He turns around fully to face me, all while continuing to walk backwards. “Hey, wanna have a rousing discussion about truth? Honor? Patriotism? God bless America!”

He’s cut off any further as Thor pushes him up against a pillar, hand covering his mouth. The impact causes another shimmer of green around him, and Loki’s back to his normal self. Strangely enough though, my dress still stays.

“What is it?” I whisper, catching up with Thor. 

He inclines his head towards two guards in the open corridor, walking away from us. “We need to hurry.” He steps away from Loki to check for more guards, leaving me standing in front of him alone.

“You could at least furnish me with a weapon,” he asks. “My dagger, something.” His eyes are intensely looking into mine again.

Thankfully, this abhorrent dress still has pockets like the last one, and its contents remain. Carefully sliding it out, my eyes never breaking contact, I place the device on top of Loki’s hands. Feeling the metal, he smiles. “At last, a little common sense.”

As soon as he looks down, the smile disappears. He glares at me as he holds up his now cuffed wrists.

I smirk. “And I thought you liked tricks”

He smiles evilly down at me, leaning forward to whisper in my ear. “I much prefer this trick in my chambers.”

I blush at his comment, leaning away.

“I promise to return the favor someday,” he warns.

I turn away, but he stops me with a hand on my arm. “You know you cannot take your mind off me, little wolf. Even as you stand there, pretending that you care not for me, I can hear your heart pounding in your ribcage. I can see your fingers twitch as they resist reaching out to touch me. And I can taste your desire as your cheeks flush. You want me, and I’m all yours. All you have to do is ask.”

“You’re wrong,” is all that I manage to say with a steady tone, walking away as Thor waves us forward.

Thankfully, the rest of our walk is silent. I want to say something about the dress I’m still wearing, but with his current mood, he’d probably only make it worse. 

Our planned meeting point is the hallway just outside the throne room. The three of us are the first to arrive, but I can see Sif and Jane approaching.

“Ahh, you brought your mortal,” Loki taunts. “I can’t wait to meet her.”

Thor turns to give me a look once Sif and Jane join us.

Jane walks straight up to Loki. “You’re…”

“I am Loki, you may have heard of me,” he eloquently drawls.

SLAP! Jane’s hand connects with the side of his face. “That was for New York.”

Loki grins at her before turning to Thor. “I like her.”

Jane just glares at him with hatred.

Our reunion is cut short as a large squadron of guards makes their way towards us. “Take her,” Sif tells Thor. “I’ll hold them off.”

“Thank you,” Thor replies, taking Jane’s hand and leading her away. 

Loki and I move to follow, but he’s stopped as Sif swings her sword hover at Loki’s throat. “Betray him, and I’ll kill you,” she warns.

Loki chuckles in response. “It’s good to see you, too, Sif.” Slowly, she removes the sword and allows him to leave.

“Do I want to know?” I ask as he catches up to me.

Loki smirks and nods his head. “No, probably not.”

We don’t have very far to go, walking into the ruined throne room with a crashed ship lying amongst the rubble. Standing before us is Volstagg, standing guard with his intimidating battle axe. Thor nods at him, and Jane smiles as they pass. He stops Loki in his tracks with a firm hand to his chest. 

“If you even think about betraying him…” the large warrior growls.

“You’ll kill me?” Loki asks playfully. “Evidently there will be a line.”

Begrudgingly, he lets Loki pass and we follow Thor into the dark ship, to find him looking around cluelessly pressing buttons.

“Sooo, what’s the plan here?” I venture, standing just behind Thor’s left side.

Loki stands to his right. “I thought you said you knew how to fly this thing.”

Thor continues pointlessly smashing different controls. “I said, ‘How hard could it be?’”

“Well, whatever you’re doing, brother, I suggest you do it faster.”

“Shut up, Loki.”

“You must have missed something,” I add, looking around the control panel.

“No, I didn’t,” Thor responds, his frustration evident. “I’m pressing every button on this thing.”

“No, don’t hit it. Just press it gently,” Loki says. 

“I am pressing it gently,” Thor replies, practically smashing the buttons at this point. “It’s not working!” Finally, he hits the right one and the ship springs to life. “Haha!” 

Blue light fills the little cabin from the displays now up and running, the engine roaring to life beneath us. Thor chuckles as he finally finds the thrusters and the ship begins moving. He may have gotten it to fly, but that didn’t mean he was exactly a good pilot. The ship is facing the wrong direction, and as he turns the ship, he manages to knock down at least a dozen columns.

Loki just sighs. “I think you missed a column.”

“Shut up!”

“You sure you don’t want me to take over? I have some experience…” I offer.

“No, no, I’ve got this,” Thor replies.

“Look, maybe you should let me take over? I’m clearly the better pilot,” Loki tries.

Thor scoffs. “Is that right? Well, out of the three of us, which one can actually fly?”

“Fair enough,” I concede, wincing slightly as he just barely manages to avoid colliding with two buildings.

My attention had been so focused on coming face to face with Loki and getting out, I’d forgotten about Jane, now standing at the front of the ship. As Thor continues to narrowly miss crashing into the side of a cliff, Jane’s knees buckle and she collapses onto the deck. I rush around the control panel to her side.

“Oh dear, is she dead?” Loki asks.

“Jane,” Thor says with concern.

Jane waves her hand at them as if to wave away his concerns. “I’m okay.”

The ship lurches slightly as we begin taking fire. With Thor’s concern momentarily on Jane, he fails to avoid crashing through a watchtower. “Not a word,” he murmurs before Loki could vocalize his opinion.

Three small blips appeared on the monitor. “Now they’re following us,” Loki points out. The ship lurches again as we take more fire. “Now they’re firing at us!”

“Yes, thank you for the commentary, Loki, it’s not at all distracting!”

“You know, this is wonderful. This is a tremendous idea,” Loki begins. “Let’s steal the biggest, most obvious ship in the universe, and escape in that! Flying around the city, smashing into everything in sight so everyone can see us.”

Thor presses another button and a side door opens, creating a sucking vortex of wind inside the ship and triggering my PTSD. Instead of simply seeing a normal sized doorway leading to blue skies and open waters, I was back looking at the portal inside the Torchwood at Canary Wharf; the portal that sucked all of the Daleks and Cybermen back into the Void; the portal that separated me from the Doctor; the portal that brought me to this dimension; the portal that haunted my nightmares. 

Loki was too busy mocking Thor to notice how I’d frozen. “It’s brilliant, Thor! It’s truly brilliant!”

Before he can say another word, Thor’s hand slams into Loki’s chest, pushing him out the door and out of the ship.

“Loki!” It was one of my nightmares really happening: Loki getting sucked into the Void and lost to me forever. 

“Rose, you have to go!” Thor shouts at me.

I shake my head, my panic making it impossible for me to move away from Jane’s side. Thor doesn’t seem to understand my hesitation. He quickly steps around the control panel and puts his oversized hand on my shoulder. 

“Rose, you have to jump. Fandral will catch you!”

I continue shaking my head. “No, no, no, I won’t make it.”

“We don’t have enough time. You’ll be fine,” he tries to reassure me as he grabs me by the shoulders and throws me out the door.


	13. Svartalfheim

I land on my ass, my heart beating wildly in my chest, my voice caught in my throat. I’m not dead. I’m not stuck in the Void. I’m alive. Loki’s alive, working his way to his feet next to me.

And currently speeding through the air on what I could only describe as a literal air-ship. A fair sized boat outfitted with thrusters and weapons.

Thor lands on his feet with a thud behind me, Jane in his arms.

“Never do that again,” I growl.

There’s light laughter behind me. I turn to confront them, only to see Fandral steering the ship.

“You lied to me,” Loki addresses Thor. “I’m impressed.”

“I’m pleased,” Thor quips back. “Now do as you promised and take us to your secret pathway.”

A manic grin covers his face. Fandral steps away and allows Loki to take the helm. With tenderness, Loki’s hands slide over the ship’s controls. Immediately, we speed up, skimming over the water away from the city across the water towards a dark mountainside. 

Gunfire strikes the water beside us. Loki steers the ship from side to side before ascending higher into the sky. “Fandral,” is all Thor says, nodding towards the ship behind us.

“Right,” his blond friend replies. He winks at me as he grabs one of the ropes used to tether the ship and steps to the edge. “For Asgard!” With a leap, he’s gone, swinging onto the enemy ship and taking out its crew.

We continue our path towards the mountain, still aiming straight at the center despite coming closer and closer.

“Loki,” I warn, clutching onto the side of the ship.

“If it were easy, everyone would do it.”

“Are you mad?” Thor cries, shielding Jane’s unconscious body with his own.

The manic grin returns. “Possibly.”

The mountain is almost upon us, I see a small cavern straight ahead, realizing that’s our destination. I close my eyes, feeling the ship scrape against the cavern as it tries to force its way through. Suddenly, we’re no longer fighting against rock. Opening my eyes, there’s color all around us, much like the Bifrost that brought me here. With a burst of light, we burst onto a desolate world.

“Ta-da,” Loki sings as he once again gains control of the ship.

It’s a barren and dark wasteland. Ruins of a once large civilization lie covered in sand, as do the remains of thousands of ships as far as the eye can see. The sun on this world is blocked out, as if stuck in an eternal eclipse, shrouding the world in darkness.

“What happened here?” I whisper.

“My grandfather, Bor, fought the Dark Elves here, long ago. Victory was assured, and Malekith ordered the destruction of all of his ships, crashing them into the surface in a last attempt at survival,” Thor responds, tucking a blanket around Jane’s shoulders.

“How is she?” I ask.

Thor lowers his head in worry. “She will not last much longer with the Aether draining her of her life force.”

“I could take it from her - save your beloved mortal,” Loki offers from his position at the aft of the ship.

“No,” I reply, my eyes never leaving Jane’s pale and unconscious form. “It would consume you.”

“You’re holding up all right,” he reasons. “For now.” His eyes narrow, in suspicion or concern I can’t tell.

“She won’t last the night if I don’t do something.”

“Say goodbye.”

I shake my head. “No, not today.” Placing both hands over her, I let the dark thoughts out of the tight box they had been contained in, letting the darkness flow through me freely, unhindered. “If someone is going to die, it won’t be her.” The world around me fades to tones of black and white, the only color left is the deep red of the Aether inside Jane. There’s so much of it, much more than what I expected to find; I must only have a fraction in comparison. Although it may be small, the darkness inside me acts like a magnet, pulling to the rest. I let it, feeling a tugging sensation in the pit of my stomach. Slowly, the Aether flows out and away from her, hovering in the air for a moment before coming to crash into me.

“Rose, no!” I can hear Loki shout behind me, but it’s too late: the Aether has already latched onto me, consuming the life force of its new host.

It feels like getting sucker punched in the gut, the force of it knocking the wind from my lungs. I double over, gasping for air. Warm hands find me, helping me sit and lean back. I blink several times, the world returning to normal around me. Thor leans down next to me, Loki sitting across from me. “What have you done?” the latter whispers. 

“What I should have done from the start,” I reply.

“I guess your mortal might live after all,” Loki snarks up at Thor.

Thor’s hand leaves me. “And will that satisfy you?” He demands.

Loki stands, his voice steady. “Satisfaction is not in my nature. Rose can testify to that.”

“Surrender is not in mine.”

Loki smiles mischievously. “The son of Odin…”

“No,” Thor stands to meet him, “Not just of Odin. You think you alone were loved of Mother? You had her tricks, but I had her trust.” 

“Trust?” Loki questions, all amusement gone and an edge of danger in his voice. “Was that her last expression? Trust? When you let her die?”

“What help were you in your cell?” His brother responds with anger as well.

“Who put me there?” Loki screams. “Who put me there?”

I can sense it, the possibilities of what could happen next. Thor could overpower Loki, or Loki could use one of his tricks and remove Thor from the equation. Standing up, I push Loki back with my own anger. “You know damn well who!” I yell, equally loud as them. “She wouldn’t want you to fight.”

Thor backs away, looking ashamed. “Well, she wouldn’t exactly be shocked,” Loki snarks. This earns a chuckle from his brother.

“I wish I could trust you,” he says, turning back to the front of the ship and sitting next to Jane, holding her sleeping form close.

“Trust my rage,” Loki whispers in reply, barely loud enough for me to hear.

We sit in silence for a while, Thor eventually starting to snore peacefully curled up next to Jane. Loki continues to sit across from me, draped casually in his seat like always, as if he owned the world. “How are you feeling,” he asks softly, his eyes still on the horizon.

“Fine, I guess. A bit tired, but no different than whenever I channel Bad Wolf.” He says nothing in response. Looking down at my clothes, I blush a bit, trying to find a way to word my request. “Could you...would you mind…”

Loki finally turns his gaze to mine, his emerald eyes glowing mischievously. “Yes?”

Mine narrow in response. “Why am I still wearing this? Not very practical, ya know. What, is this some twisted way to assert your dominance?”

He chuckles. “I’m honestly shocked it took you so long to ask. Your eyes simply burned with anger in the palace. I couldn’t resist.” With less than a wave of his hand, green light engulfs me, and the dress finally disappears. In its place are black boots that go all the way up to my knees, with thick black leggings. A long sleeved gold tunic falls down to my fingertips,with a dark green vest of leather over it. The weight of my Space Hopper reappears on my wrist beneath my sleeve. Even my hair was changed, one side braided away from my face.

“Beautiful,” he breathes. “A warrior to rival even the Valkyries.”

My blush deepens. “I want to trust you, Loki. After everything - but why should I?” 

He tilts his head, eyes narrowing in thought. “You ask why you should trust me? It is because of all the beings in all the realms, you are the only one who has turned my head. Not just for your beauty, but for your wit, your cunning, your courage. I want you, Rose. Not to possess or own, but to love. Will you not give me that chance?”

“If that’s true, then how could you leave me behind? How could you send me away when you knew…” Sobs choke my throat, and I turn away with a deep breath.

He’s next to me in an instant, his cool fingers gently holding my chin and turning my face to his. “It hurt me more than you know, sending you away that day. I had hoped you would return to your life there and forget me. I am sorry, Rose, truly sorry.”

Without thinking, my lips crash against his; all passion and fury, fear and desire. He eagerly responds, his bound hands gripping my vest and pulling me closer. Eventually, I pull away, both of us breathing heavily. “As much as I would like to continue, darling, this ship won’t steer itself,” he smiles. “But sit with me, let me hold you and call you mine. You don’t have to feel alone anymore.”

He resumes his place at the helm, nodding at the spot beside him for me to sit. With a small smile, I join him, leaning against his strong frame. “This doesn’t mean I forgive you,” I whisper.

“I know,” he chuckles.

We continue on for a few more hours, the sun never really rising but a hint of brightness comes from the blacked out sun. I had fallen asleep at some point, waking to find a blanket over my shoulders. Thor sits across from us, talking to Loki in a low voice.

Something’s off. Raising my head up to look around, I can feel it - like a painful squeezing in my chest. Something calling to the Aether, drawing me towards it like a beacon. 

Malekith is here.

“Malekith,” I mutter. 

“Rose?” Loki asks in concern.

“He’s close. I can feel him calling to the Aether.”

The brothers exchange a look, but listen to me. Loki lowers the ship, landing beyond the edge of a cliff. The ground is a mix of dirt and sand and ash, deafening the sound of our footsteps. 

Jane is awake, looking better than I’d yet to see her. Other than the worried expression on her face as Thor speaks to her, again in a low voice I can’t quite hear. Loki begins marching up the hill to the edge of the cliff, staying low as he reaches the top. I follow, soon accompanied by Thor.

“Where’s Jane?” I ask.

“She’s staying with the ship. Now that the Aether is no longer inside her, she will be safest there with a way to escape.”

I nod, turning to look at the challenge before us.

There’s a large valley beyond the cliff, Malekith’s massive ship hovering on the far end. As we watch, he and a dozen other Dark Elves begin making their way towards us. The large monster who had murdered Frigga among them. Loki tenses beside me.

“We wait for Malekith to pull the Aether out of you, then we attack.” Thor looks at me, asking, “are you ready?” 

I nod, “As I’ll ever be.” In unison, we all three stand, letting Malekith see our position.

“You know, this plan of yours is going to get us killed?” Loki asks sceptically.

Thor grips his hammer tightly. “Yes, possibly.”

Loki holds his cuffed wrists out. Looking him in the eye, I pull out the key and unlock him. Thor looks doubtful as I give him back the handcuffs.

“You still don’t trust me, brother?” 

“Would you?” Thor replies.

“No, I wouldn’t.” I don’t even see it coming: Loki’s dagger plunges into Thor’s stomach. Thor falls backwards, tumbling down the cliffside with Loki charging down right behind him. 

“Thor!” I call out, trying to run down after them.

Eventually Thor rolls to a stop, lying in the dirt. Loki catches up to him. “You really think I cared about Frigga. About any of you?” He lands a kick to Thor’s ribs. “All I ever wanted was you and Odin dead at my feet!”

I’m close, only a few yards away now. Thor reaches out to call Mjolnir to him, but Loki is expecting that. Marching up to him, he grabs his forearm and slices down, chopping Thor’s hand clean off. Thor cries out in pain, rolling over to clutch his wounded limb. 

I get there too late, crashing into Loki to stop him from doing any further harm. With ease, he has his arms wrapped around my waist, pulling my struggling form around to face Malekith and his men.

“Malekith,” Loki yells over my struggles. “I am Loki of Jotunheim, and I bring you a gift.” With that, he tosses me on the ground at the Dark Elves feet. “I ask only one thing in return...a good seat from which to watch Asgard burn.”

The monster steps forward to whisper in Malekith’s ear. “He is an enemy of Asgard,” it says, the voice like smoke. “He was a prisoner in their dungeons.”

Malekith says nothing at first, only stepping towards me slightly. Thor had clearly left his mark on the Elven leader: the entire right side of his face covered in dark burns extending down to his armor. He raises his arm, and suddenly I’m being raised into the air as well. The Aether inside me is pushing to get out, pushing to protect its host or pushing to reach Malekith I can’t tell. It takes all my strength to contain it.

Malekith closes his fist, and I can’t breathe. I can’t see, I can’t move, I can’t do anything. It’s like there’s something trying to suck my soul straight out of my body. It burns as the Aether is finally drawn out of me, pouring out of my eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. As soon as the last speck leaves me, I’m dropped to the ground like a rag doll.

“Loki, now!” Thor shouts.

Loki thrusts his hand forward with a flicker of light. Thor’s hand reappears as he rises up and reaches for Mjolnir once more. Thunder cracks as it reaches him, lightning pouring from the top and hitting the Aether as it floats above Malekith.

Loki throws himself over me, shielding me with his body. 

“Loki,” I sigh in relief, realizing this was the plan all along.

He smirks down at me. “I have missed this: you writhing beneath me while breathing out my name.”

I’m distracted from responding by an explosion above us. We look up once the dust has settled, watching as tiny red shards float up off the ground and begin pulling together before Malekith, who stands with hands outstretched. Much like it had left me, it pours into him as he cries out in pain. Once it’s done, he turns to face our trio, his skin now an ashy gray and his eyes completely black before promptly marcing away back to his ship with his monster in tow.

The dozen Dark Elves left begin to approach, only to meet the hard end of Thor’s hammer. 

The monster unclips a cylindrical object from his belt, arming it and tossing it at Loki and I. Loki’s eyes widen as we stand, and he pushes me away as it explodes, creating a blackhole in mid air. He’s about to be sucked in when I feel time slow down around me, a familiar tingle filling me.  _ That’s better,  _ I think, leaping up and forward to pull Loki away to safety. Time returns to normal when we land in a heap of limbs in the dirt. 

Thor flies by us, held aloft by Mjolnir, hurtling towards Malekith and the rest of the Dark Elves. But before he can land his intended blow, the monster blocks his path, knocking him back.

The plan is falling apart: Malekith’s ship rising into the sky and disappearing with the Aether; Thor getting pummeled by the giant monster; and all around Loki and I, the Dark Elves Thor had knocked down earlier rise to their feet. Weapons drawn, they surround us. Loki stands protectively in front of me, and I easily reach within for Bad Wolf; with an ease I hadn’t felt since the Dalek Crucible, the power of the Time Vortex fills my mind. 

Loki spins his dagger in his hand, tightening his grip. As soon as the closest Dark Elf makes a move, he attacks with a viciousness I had never seen before. Sidestepping its sword with ease, he stabs it repeatedly in the chest before pushing it to the ground to face the next one.

Another advances from my side. Turning to face it, I grab in by the arm and throw it over my shoulder onto the ground. Arms grab me from behind, pinning my hands to my chest. Another one approaches me, sword drawn. Using the one holding me, I bring my legs up and kick the approaching soldier as hard as I can, knocking me and the Dark Elf holding me to the ground. Grabbing it’s weapon, I bash it in the head until it stops moving.

There’s a slight sting in my shoulder, growing steadily more pronounced in intensity. Looking over, a Dark Elf stands with his gun trained on me. He fires again but I expect it this time, diving out of the way just in time. Pushing myself to my feet to take on this one, I realize there’s no need. Loki is upon it with a fury, knocking the gun from its grasp. The Dark Elf tries to grab for Loki’s midsection, but Loki’s faster: spinning it around and ending it with a quick slash across its throat. 

Seeing none left, I grab a fallen sword and run towards Thor and the monster. Thor is lying on the ground, the monster pushing him further into the dirt with every heavy punch. Sneaking up behind it, it reared up for one final blow, and I see my chance. With the strength of the Time Vortex, the sword pierces the monster’s armor all the way through to the hilt, coming out on the other side. The monster spits, slowly turning around to face me now. I take a step back as it approaches. It reaches out for me, but I’m knocked sideways and it misses, the impact breaking my connection with Bad Wolf. From the ground I look up to see it grab Loki in my place, impaling him on the sword protruding from its middle. 

“Nooo!” I scream.

Loki cries out in pain as he’s thrown off and onto the hard ground, arms wrapped protectively around his abdomen as the monster approaches. “See you in hell, monster!” Loki growls. The monster realizes too late what he’d done, the grenade on its belt detonating and creating a black hold all around it, crushing it into nothing.

I rush to Loki’s side, “no, no, no.” His skin is pale and sickly, dark blood staining his abdomen. 

“I guess we’re even now,” he mutters between shallow breaths.

“Oh, you fool, you didn’t listen,” Thor says, kneeling over him and pulling him close.

“I know,” Loki breaths. “I’m a fool, I’m a fool.”

“Loki, stay with me, okay?” I cry, my hand finding his.

His green eyes never leave my face. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he mutters.

I gently cup his face with my hand. “Shh, it’s okay. You’re going to be just fine. We’ll get you help.”

Thor looks down at his dying brother in his arms. “I’ll tell Father what you did here today.”

Loki’s breathing calms, slowly turning to Thor. “I didn’t do it for him.” His eyes close and his head falls back, his hand going limp in my grasp.

Thor lets out a pained yell.

“No, no, no, Loki…” I shake my head, refusing to believe he’s dead. He can’t be dead. I just got him back. “You will not die, you will not die!” I shout.

“Rose, I’m sorry. He’s gone,” Thor says softly, his voice dripping with anguish.

My vision tints gold as Bad Wolf responds to my emotional outburst, the soft golden light emanating off of me bright enough to light up the whole valley. Thor is knocked back from the intensity. 

_ “Child,”  _ the voice of Bad Wolf calls in my head.  _ “You remember what happened last time we brought life.” _

My thoughts go back to Captain Jack Harkness on the Crucible, who was able to come back to life even after being killed countless times.  _ It’s different this time, _ I think in response.  _ It has to be. If I can bring death and destruction with ease, why can’t I bring life just this once! _ Focusing on Loki’s lifeless body, I pour the power of Bad Wolf into him, watching as his timestream comes back to life before my eyes. It glows gold like mine, reaching far off into time.

With a gasp, Bad Wolf fades away in a rush. My head feels light, my vision too blurry. The ground begins moving sideways, approaching me. All I can see is Loki lying next to me, unchanged. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I actually finished this up tonight, but I'll still only posting one chapter a day. I tested negative on my covid test, which means I'll have to go back to work and not have as much time to write. But I promise it won't be too long til the next installment.


	14. Choices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up, this chapter is nsfw. If that kind of thing makes you uncomfortable, just skip down to the middle.

Thunder cracks in the distance with the oncoming of an approaching storm. Jane appears by Thor’s side. “We should find shelter,” he says. Slowly, he stands. “Rose, we must go.”

I make no effort to move. “I won’t leave him.”

Thor sighs and walks around Loki to where I lay, reaching down to pull me up. I fall over Loki, grabbing onto him as Thor tries to pull me away. “Rose, we have to leave him. He’s gone.”

“NO!” I scream. “He has to come back!”

“Rose…” Jane tries.

“Just leave me!” I yell at them both, grabbing onto Loki with renewed ferocity. “Go find your shelter and let me be.”

Thor stands behind Jane, his hands on her shoulders. She opens her mouth as if to say more, but Thor stops her. “Let her mourn,” he says. Reluctantly, they both begin walking away back towards the cliff we started on.

The wind picks up as I lay there, huddled next to Loki, tears streaming down my face. “Please come back to me,” I whisper, drowned out by the sand and rock raging in the storm around us. “I need you, Loki. I...I love you.”

The arm around me tightens, my body pushed closer to his. Looking up in shock, he’s looking down at me with amazement. Rolling over, his body covering my own, his fingers dive into my hair, pulling me in for a kiss. My arms naturally wrap around his neck.

“If this is Valhalla, I may be content in death after all,” he murmurs as he pulls back slightly.

“You’re alive. You came back to me,” I breathe in relief, pulling him down for another kiss.

He’s the first to pull back once again. “I believe I heard you say you needed me. Who am I to disappoint my queen.” A flash of green light engulfs us, and we’re no longer lying in the dirt hounded by the storm. Instead, we’re lying on a small bed inside a cave, the only light coming from the cave’s mouth.

“Where are we?” my voice echoes. I sit up, leaning back on my elbows.

“Svartalfheim has been abandoned for centuries. Clearly, even what is left of the Dark Elves want nothing to do with it. As the only one who knows how to cross realms without the Bifrost, I might have hidden here a time or so when needed.”

I smile, my tongue sticking out between my teeth. “You brought me to your secret hideout?” He doesn’t respond, instead pushing me back against the small bed and crushing his lips against mine. “Loki, I…” I gasp as his lips trail down from my mouth to my neck.

“You love me?” He asks, his voice quiet and full of hope.

My smile returns. “I love you,” I answer.

The smile that beams across his face is the most gorgeous thing I think I’ve ever seen. “My Rose. My goddess. I love you, darling. I believe I have for some time now.”

Time seems to stop around us as he kisses me again, his tongue dancing with mine. His knee nudges between my legs, pushing them apart to allow him to settle between them. “Oh darling, how I’ve missed you: your flawless skin, your beaming smile...your mere presence at my side. It’s almost sickening how much I’ve missed you, how much I’ve pined for you. It has been a physical ache to be away from you, my love. I plan to never leave you again.”

With another flash and shimmer of green, we’re both naked. I instinctively move to cover my scar, but he stops me, wrapping his long fingers around my wrist. His smile turns dark. “It’s amusing that you think I would be repulsed by the very mark I gave you.” He slowly crawls down my body, still holding my wrist, coming to stop with his face hovering over the jagged scar just below my sternum. “Having you bare before me, the only thing I am thinking of is where to put my mouth first.” With that, his lips come down to caress my scar.

A moan escapes me. There’s a burning need building between my thighs, as well as a wetness. I can feel his length against my thigh, hard and ready. One cool finger slides inside me suddenly, making me gasp in surprise. I look down to see him smirking up at me. He leans back, knees bent under my spread out legs, and grabs my hips with his hands, implaling me on his cock. He gives me a second to adjust before sliding in and out. My hands search for something to hold onto, grasping the sheets beneath us. It’s fast and eager, but there’s time for tenderness later.

“How I love the look of innocence and wonder in your eyes as I fuck you. Your body twists into any number of lustful shapes, but your eyes always stay fixed on mine. Trusting. Questioning. Exquisite.” One of his hands moves from my hip to that little bundle of nerves, stroking it deliberately to make my whole body quiver with need. In no time at all, pleasure shoots through me entirely, my walls tightening around him. He gasps in pleasure, needing only a few more pumps until he reaches his own climax, the feeling of his release filling me. 

He collapses next to me with a contented sigh. I lean forward and give him a small kiss. “I love you.”

With a graceful movement, he jumps up from the bed and stands before me, offering a hand. I take it, allowing him to pull me up. “We should get going.” He begins putting his clothes back on.

“Going where?” I ask, grabbing my own clothes and confused by the sudden need to leave.

“To Asgard, of course,” he replies, as if the answer was obvious.

“What about Malekith? He’s still out there, we have to help…”

“Thor can deal with the Dark Elves. We are going to depose Odin.”

I freeze. “Sorry, what?” He doesn’t answer, continuing to pull on his robes. “Loki, Thor thinks you’re dead! We have to go back!”

“Thor needs to believe I am dead in order for this to work.”

Grabbing the leather vest, I throw in over my head and shoulders. “For what to work? What are you going to do?”

Completely dressed now, he cups my face in both hands, forcing me to look at him. “Odin is old and weak. It’s time for a new king...and queen.”

“What are you saying?”

He steps back, one hand still held out for me to take. “Be my queen, Rose. Rule by my side, defend Midgard and all the realms as you see fit. You’ll be worshipped like the goddess you are.”

“Loki, please don’t do this,” I plead. “I love you! But I have to protect my home, my family. Don’t make me choose.”

A look of devastation flashes across his face before being replaced by a confident smirk. “I won’t give up on you, little wolf. You can run, you can hide, but now that I’ve had you, I can never again leave you behind. You are mine, and I will never let you go.”

“Are you going to kill Odin?” I ask, strapping the Space Hopper back on my arm. “Cause you know I can’t let you, even if I have to throw myself in front of your knife.”

Loki’s smirk grows, stepping away from me further. “Guess you’ll have to choose then, after all: save your precious Earth, or save Odin?” With a blinding flash of green, he’s gone, leaving me alone in the cave.

I let out a scream of frustration, picking rocks up off the ground and throwing them at where Loki had been standing. “You...complete...arse!” Taking a moment to calm down, I run my hands over my face, my spine straightening as I switch into Torchwood mode. 

Taking my surroundings in anew, I let the subtle nudges of Bad Wolf guide me through the black cave. It’s more of a tunnel, I realize as a slight amount of light appears ahead. The second thing I notice as I walk closer to the light, is all the shoes. And a familiar bottle. Walking faster, I find the portal that started all of this in the first place, appearing back on Earth at the deserted shipyard.

Pulling out my phone, I immediately call Doctor Campbell. 

“General Tyler! At last! I was honestly starting to worry…”

“No time for pleasantries, doctor. I need to know where -”

“Where the convergence is happening? I figured you’d ask that.”

“Doctor,” I urge.

“Right, right. Not far from base, we can practically see it here from here. Best bet is Greenwich, the Old Royal Naval College. Should I send you coordinates?”

I type into my Space Hopper as he speaks. “Nope, I’m good. Thanks, doctor!” I hang up before he can babble on in excitement any further. Pressing down on my teleport, I drop inside the university library. Hitting the ground at a run, I dash outside, finding Malekith’s massive ship run into the ground from the River Thames. Hovering above the ship, a beautiful sight: two massive portals in the sky, with unknown worlds and stars visible within. But I don’t have time to gaze in wonder. 

Malekith is using the Aether, creating a massive storm of red-tinted darkness around the ship. Thor is standing in front of it, and I silently walk up next to him.

“Thor,” Jane calls from behind us, Erik Selvig right behind her. They both carry the same scientific equipment I had seen him running around with at Stonehenge. “Rose!” She hugs me quickly before turning her attention back to the storm. “We’re too late.”

“The convergence is at its peak,” Selvig adds.

Thor nods towards the beeping equipment. From up close, they looked like metal poles with wires and meters attached. “Can those stop him?”

Jane shakes her head, “we can’t get close enough.”

I look up at Thor. His face has new cuts to it, his armor and cape still covered in dirt. But his expression - it’s the expression of someone with little left to lose.

“I can,” I quickly say, knowing Thor would do the same. I grab one of the poles from Selvig, and reach for another.

Thor grabs it with me. “Together?” He asks.

I let go, smiling determinedly up at him, eyes glowing gold as Bad Wolf howls a challenge. “Together.”

Thor has two, I have one; and together we charge into the storm. The small tendrils of light emanating from me block the storm from us, the darkness retreating from my light and creating a sort of force field, allowing us to slowly approach. Malekith stands before his ship, arms outstretched towards the heavens with the Aether swirling out and around him. 

“Malekith!” Thor shouts in challenge.

“Darkness returns, Asgardian. Have you come to witness the end of your universe?” His dark voice echoes through the storm. 

“We’ve come to accept your surrender,” I respond, throwing my pole like a spear at the Dark Elf.

He catches it as it nears him, the beeping increasing before his arm completely disappears in a flash. Thor throws another, this one piercing him in the shoulder. Malekith cries out in pain, his other arm disappearing. “You think you can stop this?” He challenges, the Aether flowing straight from his body to form a semblance of arms. “The Aether cannon be destroyed.”

“But you can,” Thor replies, holding his hand out and open, summoning his hammer. “Together?” he asks again. I nod, and together we charge, my power creating the opening he needs to throw the last pole into Malekith, knocking him back into his ship with a lightning bolt from his hammer. 

The resulting explosion knocks us both back and onto the ground behind us. My ears are ringing, no other sound quite making it to my brain. Looking up, I see Malekith’s ship descending towards me. But before it can crush me, it disappears.

“Everybody okay?” Erik Selvig calls out. Glancing over, I see Jane huddled over a nearly unconscious Thor next to me. 

I reach out and grab the hand nearest me, giving it a light squeeze. “Good job guys, we did it.”

Thor lets out a pained laugh. “Yes, sister, we did. 


	15. Now What?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not the longest chapter, I know, but I hope you like it nonetheless :)  
> I've already started on the next part, but won't be able to update quite as often as I have for this one. Hopefully a chapter a week.  
> Thank you so much for reading!

“So...now what?” Jane asks as we take a moment to catch our breath.

“Well, at least the clean up took care of itself. That’ll make Pete happy.”

Jane’s friend, Darcy, and her intern stroll up to us hand in hand. “Woah, Rose, you look like a freaking badass Viking! Jane, why didn’t you get clothes like that?”

Jane rolls her eyes. “If only I hadn’t been preoccupied to ask for badass Viking clothes.”

Thor and I chuckle in response. “If you’re staying in London a little longer,” I look at Jane and Doctor Selvig, “I’d love to introduce you to someone at base. He’d never let me hear the end of it if I didn’t let him trade theories with you.”

“Your base?” Jane asks questioningly. 

I point across the river towards Canary Wharf. “Torchwood Prime. We have several smaller hubs located throughout the country, but this is the main one.”

“Torchwood you say? I don’t believe I’ve heard of it,” Dr. Selvig says.

I chuckle. “Officially, neither has she. We’re not exactly as prominent as SHIELD likes to be.” He nods in understanding.

“What about you?” Jane addresses Thor. 

He looks at her thoughtfully for a moment. “I should return to Asgard, to tell Odin what has happened here today.” He grunts in pain as he stands up. “And possibly visit a healer.”

“Oh,” she replies, clearly crestfallen. 

“But I will return to you, I promise.”

Jane stands on tip-toe to press her lips against his. “You better.”

“How’re you going to get back? Isn’t the Bifrost still closed?” I inquire.

Thor frowns at me. “I honestly hadn’t thought about that.”

I look down in thought, my eyes resting on my Space Hopper, before looking up at the barely visible portals to other realms in the sky. “I actually might have a way.” Jumping up, I ask, “Do you know the spatial coordinates for Asgard?”

Thor continues to frown despite my excitement. “Yes. Yes, of course.”

I start adjusting settings on the teleport, widening the range and power allotment. “It’s a long-shot, but theoretically it should work.”

“What should work?” Jane pipes in.

I hold up my arm to show them. “My Space Hopper!” I’m grinning like a madman now.

Darcy coughs to cover up a chuckle. “Your what now?”

“It’s teleport technology repurposed from the Dimension Cannon I used to cross dimensions a while back,” I wave my hand dismissively over the subject, despite their curious looks. “All I need is the right coordinates, and we should be all set!”

Dr. Selvig gives me a skeptical look. “Should?”

I have Thor enter the coordinates. “Hypothetically speaking. I’ve never tried jumping to another world. But I’ve seen a similar one I copied do it, how hard could it be?” The doctor says nothing in reply. “Place your hand on the hopper and don’t let go. Also, there’s a slightly rough landing,” I instruct Thor. “Don’t worry Jane, I’ll make sure he brings himself back. On three: one, two, three!”

We pop onto Asgard like a lightning bolt. Thor lands steadily, making it look easy. I wobble a bit, but manage to catch myself. One of the best landings yet.

“It worked!” Thor exclaims in surprise.

“Of course it worked, brother,” I playfully punch him in the arm. He smiles at my use of the sibling name. “Can’t believe you doubted me.”

“Not you, just that strange device. Seems much too small to contain enough power needed for travel.” He looks thoughtful for a moment, gently placing his large hand to cup the back of my neck, keeping my attention directly on him. “You should know, Rose, though I have never had a sister, I would have hoped she would be like you. I know...I know you have a family back on Earth, but if you wanted, this could be your home...and I your family.”

I throw my arms around his large frame in a hug, feeling his large arms wrap around me to return it. “I would feel honored to be your sister,” I mutter against his shoulder. 

We’re allowed rest for a few hours before Odin sees us. Although I had my little brother, Tony, who I loved with all my heart, it did feel like I had gained another brother in Thor. He seemed more hopeful than I’d seen him. Part of me wondered why I hadn’t told him Loki was still alive, but I wanted to see Odin first. 

Thor claps a warm hand on my shoulder as we stand before the throne room doors. “Are you ready, sister?” I nod, and with practiced ease, he pushes the heavy doors open, we walk forward in silence. 

I spare a quick glance around as we enter. Most of the rubble had been cleared out, only restorations left to be done to return this part of the palace to its original splendor. Casting my gaze back towards the throne, I see Odin standing there proudly with his sceptre, his one-eyed gaze trained on me.

Once we reach the bottom of the dias, Thor kneels and bows his head. I quickly follow suit, although reluctantly. 

Nothing happens for a few minutes. Strangely, no one was present in the large hall but the three of us. Finally, Odin speaks. “Thor, my son. You once said there would never be a wiser king than me. You were wrong.” Thor’s head looks up in surprise. Odin continues, “The Alignment has brought all the realms together. Every one of them saw you offer your life to save them - you and the golden warrior beside you.”

My head pops up, eyes narrowing slightly. There’s something different about him. He’d never willingly offer me a complement. Even the way he’s standing is off: too relaxed for someone like him.

“What can Asgard offer its new king in return for such an act?” Odin asks Thor.

“My life,” Thor says solemnly, “As well as Rose’s.” He stands to address his king, taking a step forward. “Father, I cannot be king of Asgard. I will protect Asgard and all the realms with my last and every breath, but I cannot do so from that chair. Loki, for all his grave imbalance, understood rule as I know I never will. The brutality, the sacrifice...it changes you. I’d rather be a good man than a great king.”

“Is this my son I hear, or the woman he loves?” Odin asks, not even a hint of malice present like I expect.

Thor smiles. “When you speak, do I never hear Mother’s voice?” Odin sighs in response, looking saddened for a moment. “This is not for Jane, Father,” Thor continues. “She does not know what I came here to say. Now, forbid me to see her, or say she can rule at my side. It changes nothing.”

Odin sits in his throne - casually, leaning to one side. It seemed strangely familiar. “One son who wanted the throne too much, another who will not take it. Is this my legacy?” 

“Loki died with honor,” Thor boasts. “I shall try to live the same. Is that not legacy enough?”

I bite my lip so as not to say anything, once again wondering why I hadn’t told Thor his brother was in fact still alive.

Odin nods his consent at Thor, who holds Mjolnir up in offering. The king waves it away with his hand. “It belongs to you. If you are worthy of it.”

“I shall try to be.”

“I cannot give you my blessing, nor can I wish you good fortune.”

Thor’s head nods in understanding. “I know.” He turns to walk away, stopping as Odin speaks.

“If I were proud of the man my son had become, even that, I could not say. It would speak only from my heart. Go, my son,” he smiles at Thor.

“Thank you, Father,” Thor replies with a proud little smile. 

I turn to leave with him, but Odin stops me. “Not yet, Rose Tyler. I still wish to speak with you.”

Thor raises his eyebrows in question at me, before dutifully turning to exit the throne room, leaving only myself and the King of Asgard. Again, he sits there saying nothing, simply staring at me.

“You did say you wanted something,” I chime in, the uncomfortable silence making me squirm where I stand.

“Why is it you have not told Thor the truth?”

I’m taken aback. I glance at the ground to hide my surprise.“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“We both know Loki still lives, you better than anyone.”

“I…” I begin, unsure what to say as I face him again. Although it’s not Odin sitting there, but Loki. No wonder the casual nature seemed familiar. “Loki! You son of a -” I charge up the dias, only to be forced to a stop as he raises his hand, an invisible barrier blocking me.

“Now, now, little wolf. Where are your manners? Kneel, before your king!” He smiles at me smugly.

“Bite me,” I snap.

“Ohhh, believe me, I would love to,” he growls in return. “All in good time.”

“What did you do to Odin?”

“Exactly what I told you I would. You just chose Thor instead. And now he’s accepted me as his king.”

“He accepts Odin as his king, not you!”

“But who will believe Loki is still alive, and impersonating that old fool? Thor saw my lifeless body for himself. You, darling, are the only one who knows the truth.”

I throw my arms up in a shrugging manner. “And now you have what you’ve always wanted.”

“Not quite,” he rises from the throne, leaning his sceptre against it and stalking towards me. The invisible barrier appears at my back, blocking me in so I can’t escape. “I’m still missing a queen,” he whispers in my ear, his teeth catching my earlobe. “I find it amusing, you know. You make play that you’re still pure and innocent, but we both know who you really are when the lights go out. How you desire my touch, my cock inside you.”

A shudder of arousal creeps down my spine, and I suppress a moan as he begins kissing my neck in just the right spot. “I have seen the way you respond to my kiss, my touch. But it seems that my voice holds a special power over you, my love. Do you truly find it so irresistible?” His lips hover over mine, teasing me, daring me to bridge the gap between us. “Be my queen, Rose.”

“Loki, I -” but he cuts me off as his lips crash against mine. 

“I can never resist my name on your lips,” he breaths against me, his hands finding my hips and pulling me flush against him. “Rose, be my queen.”

I blush, feeling him so close against me. “You said yourself, everyone thinks you’re dead. How could I possibly…” All words and thoughts escape me as I watch him take a step back and kneel in front of me, his hands grasping mine, his eyes full of hope.

“Marry me.”

**Author's Note:**

> Finally getting around to posting Part 3! I've had so many different ideas of how this could go, but I hope you like the way it turned out :)  
> The beginning of this story will make more sense if you read the One-Shot, "An Unexpected Turn of Events." It covers what happened after they make it back to Bad Wolf Bay.


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